Feathers in the Winds of Love
by Asona35
Summary: "Aww. Demacia's Wings is losing feathers..."... "Feathers in the winds of love!" Battle after battle. Demacia's army has never be readier. They steady themselves for another mission, led into Freljord, to aid the tribes who now face a new enemy... But a sharp blade is not always the most dangerous. BTW hope ya guys like yuri
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

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><p>Valor's feathers felt incredibly soft under my gloved hand as I gently stroked his back, the way I would on the rare occasions when he would be perched upon my right arm. Sometimes, that bird is just showing off, but you would be surprised to see just how calm he is after a good battle.<p>

"I doubt we would ever see the day Demacia's army will fall." Said Fiora as she walked up to me, her stride straight and proud. At the sight of her, Valor let out a short shriek of annoyance, which had gone somewhat unnoticed. "The glory of battle is known by us better than it is known by anyone. Would I not be right?"

"Fiora," Shyvana's voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere, "stop filling Quinn's brain with your nonsense." She was walking in the middle of Fiora and I. "I swear there is not one person more arrogant than you."

I tried my best to hold my laughter in as Valor whistled in approval.

"I do beg your pardon!" Fiora responded, a small chuckle hiding at the back of her voice. She comically turned her head away from Shyvana. "Well at least I am not a barbaric brute."

Their conversation stopped as we saw all the soldiers around us come to a sudden stop. I didn't have a clear view because of a row of heads in front of me, but I could just make out a tall figure walking in front of us.

"Get ready." I heard Fiora whisper.

The figure cleared his throat.

"The blood spilt by our kinsmen was in no way in vain." His booming voice washed over the crowd. "Today, I have seen bravery I never knew existed in our troops, and I must congratulate each and every one of you for that!" He paused for effect. "Soon, Noxus will bow to our command!" With that, the crowd went into a frenzy as soldiers cheered in approval before scattering.

As the my view cleared, I could identify the figure.

"Jarvan, prince of Demacia." I heard Shyvana say. "The very man that helped me avenge my father."

"The very man that leads us." Fiora chuckled rudely. "I would never listen to his orders if I hadn't sworn to do so."

I watched as he straightened his armour, its golden colour gleaming in the fading sun. He had a straight posture, his back seemingly robust and rigid. His head was held high, possibly a sign of his status. And his eyes were of an ocean blue.

I felt Valor's sharp beak poke my skull.

The crowd around us had disappeared completely and Jarvan was leaving too.

As I looked back at Shyvana and Fiora, I noticed that Fiora was still deep into her explanation of how she could slice everyone in two, while Shyvana shortly followed my gaze before looking away, smiling.

The Dragonborn sighed heavily.

"What?" Asked Fiora, clearly offended that she was interrupted.

Shyvana looked at me, then at Fiora, then back at me. Her sassy smile widened.

"Nothing." She replied plainly.

"Very well." The duelist straightened her back. "I have some things to attend to." And she walked away, the air of proudness around her never diminishing.

"I think I best be going too..." I said as I turned to go, but was stopped by a strong grip on my arm.

"You're not getting away with this one." She said boldly.

Valor let out a shriek, signalling that he knew what Shyvana was on about too.

I sighed.

"You can tell me anything. Plus, you can trust me to not let this fall into the hands of that accentuated woman." She said.

I laughed. "I don't think you used the word accentuated right."

Shyvana shook her head quickly, disregarding my comment. "Anyway, so you like Jarvan."

"No."

Valor beak punctured my skull once again.

"Maybe." I corrected myself.

Shyvana tilted her head to one side. "Aww. Demacia's Wings is losing feathers..." She said sweetly.

Valor shrieked. "Feathers in the winds of love," was what he said.

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><p><strong><em>Note:<em>**

_End of Chapter I  
>I don't know if I'm pleased as to how it turned out, and I've no idea how the plot unfolds without making things complicated, but just trust me! <em>

_I do hope I got Fiora's personality right. XD _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

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><p>There was some awkwardness as Shyvana forced every word out of my mouth, but eventually, she became pleased with the information that she had received. As her cynical self, she doubted everything I told her.<p>

"Are you sure that's right?" she asked.

"Pretty sure. It's a weird feeling. Not like you would imagine." I responded.

She nodded slowly as we walked the empty streets. Most soldiers were at home resting, or in local inns getting a drink, while civilians would have been there to greet them.

"Alright." she said finally. "Describe him to me."

I was taken aback by her request. "But you already know..."

"Do it." She paused. "Please."

I sighed. "Dark hair, blue eyes, tall, clever, a good leader and he's got a sense of justice..."

Shyvana chuckled.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. I just found it funny."

Valor shrieked, "Funny how Jarvan always has trouble remembering people."

"Valor, he does not." I replied.

He rolled his eyes at me, and let out a quiet whistle, as if he was saying "whatever".

"I'm sure he makes an effort then." I said, in an attempt to win the argument.

Shyvana was being awfully quiet during the conversation, as I knew she always tried to butt in at times. However, she seemed to be staring into space, as if in deep thought.

"Are you ok?" I asked her.

She snapped back to reality. "Hm? Yeah. Just tired I guess. Damn battles are draining me lately." She rubbed her eyes shortly. "I'm going to get some rest. I'll see you later."

"Ok, bye."

"Don't go over the top with that crush of yours!" She warned me as she walked away.

I tried to ignore her then, but I couldn't help smiling. As my best friend, she always had something uncalled for to add.

As I looked up ahead of me, I found myself in awe of the sunset that had taken over the sky. The cold blue was no longer there, and in its place, a warm crimson stained the sun's surroundings, slowly fading into orange and then yellow.

"Lovely view." His voice startled me and almost made me jump. He chuckled. "Sorry."

My throat had tightened, so I felt incapable of speaking. Instead, I forced my lips into a smile against my probably red face. Jarvan's height didn't help as my neck was to nervous to tilt upwards properly, so I was left standing in an awkward position.

He chuckled again. "I'm a normal man. Don't be tense just because some call me royalty." He smiled, his shoulders slumping slightly, as if he meant to look less menacing.

Valor let out a shriek. "That's not why she's nervous." He said.

I gave him a disapproving look.

"Do you understand him?" Jarvan asked.

I stuttered for a moment before I recovered my words. "Y-yes. We grew up together."

"Oh yes, of course." He said, as if he'd just remembered that. "And together you became one of Demacia's best teams."

"We were only pursuing the dream my brother and I once had."

"Yes..." he paused for a minute. "Calben?"

"Caleb." I replied in almost a whisper, feeling sadness suddenly come over me. I lowered my gaze in case my eyes watered.

"Sorry, I am truthfully sorry..." The guilt was audible in his voice. "You know how bad I am... Sorry."

I smiled, "It's ok." I looked up again. "Your Highness." I added quickly, remembering my place.

Valor shrieked again. "Are you done yet? I'm hungry."

"Val..." I warned him.

"Aw." Jarvan said, looking at the stubborn bird. He reached out and stroked his feather the wrong way, making them stick up. "Isn't he cute? I bet he's tired. You better get some sleep. There's no telling what will come."

"Yeah, listen to him." Valor said, shaking a bit to make his feathers return to normal, displaying a look of annoyance.

"Alright. Good night, your Highness. I hope you have a restful night." I said in the most polite way possible.

He smiled warmly, "You too."

I turned to go, but caught sight of Garen running towards us, a look of trepidation dominating his face.

"Jarvan!" he yelled. "Jarvan, sir!" He came to a stop and paused to catch his breath. "We received word from Freljord. They're in danger."

The prince of Demacia turned to face me. "Forget everything I've said. No time for rest."

The next thing I heard was Valor's disappointed cry.

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><p><em><strong>Note<strong>_

_Eeech! The fluff isn't there, I know. Don't judge meh, I have plans. *evil laugh* No seriously, I do. _

_This sounds like a rushed chapter, but I think I got everything done that I wanted done._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

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><p>Soldiers were rushing out on the streets of Demacia, their faces alarmed with fear and anxiety. In the crowd, I managed to spot Fiora and Shyvana (because of their loud bickering) and almost instinctively headed towards them, leaving Jarvan to address us at the front.<p>

The prince of Demacia was still listening to some rushed details from the message that Garen had received, before clearing his voice quickly.

"We were given no time to rest, but I know we needn't any. I trust in all of you to defend Freljord in their time of need. We have received urgent news informing us of that there's something out there, which has posed a threat to the Avarosan tribe." He paused as he searched for his words. "I will be honest, and tell you that we don't know what we will be facing. However, what I do know is that all of you here are capable of doing this, and I shan't tolerate failure."

He raised his spear in the air, and cheered us on.

Almost in unison, everyone marched out of Demacia, bracing themselves for the journey to Freljord. If I remembered correctly, it would take only about a day or so, and with that thought in mind, all I could do was hope that Freljordian forces would be able to stay strong for that time. In no way should I be inferring that they were weak.

Valor rested his head against my shoulder, as he still stood perched on my arm. He let out a long sigh and closed his eyes sleepily.

"I guess there'd be no harm in letting him doze off." I whispered quietly.

"Aww." was Fiora's reaction.

As I looked over at Shyvana I realized that she seemed incredibly distant. Her stride wasn't at strong as it had been, and I suspected that was from the lack of sleep.

"Don't worry, Shyvana." I said, trying to make her feel better. "I'm sure they'll let us rest somewhere. Who knows, maybe we could reach Freljord before dawn."

She nodded slowly, although I knew she was barely taking in half of the things that I was saying.

"How on earth will you fight like that?" asked Fiora. "Guess you'll have no choice but leave the kills to me."

She suddenly snapped awake. "In your dreams, loser."

The beautiful sunset that had once occupied the sky had vanished as night bathed our path in darkness. Every soldier, including us, kept a lantern handy, so we were able to carry on walking through the night, despite our legs aching.

Occasionally, Jarvan would shout a few encouraging words to keep us going, but all hope of reaching Freljord before morning was long gone. Eventually, as our bodies finally gave up, we decided it would be best to stop and rest, or else we wouldn't be of much help to anyone.

We set up a few tents, but unfortunately we didn't have the time to take many with us when we set off, so about half of us slept on the wet grass. Obviously, that wasn't a problem for Valor as that bird could sleep virtually anywhere, but I didn't have the best of times waking up soaking wet.

There was no time for breakfast, as we were up and going as soon as we could. We had to suffer a couple of Fiora's bad jokes, but after that things were ok. Although Shyvana was still not herself.

"Are you sure you're ok?" I asked her.

She sighed. "Yeah, I don't know why I feel weaker than I should. Maybe because it's really cold out here."

"Shyvana, I don't think it's safe for you to fight." I told her.

She gave me an angered look. "I ain't dead yet so I fight. No questions asked."

I shrugged apologetically.

"And you say I'm the arrogant one." Fiora commented, making all three of us laugh.

After some time, we sensed that we had to be nearing Freljord. The air around us became colder as we walked, until our path became covered in snow. We were slowed down by it, as our soldiers were not used to treading through such conditions, and most of us needed to be extra cautious to not slip on a stray patch of ice. Shyvana seemed to breathe more heavily, as every step became harder as the snow deepened.

"I wanna go home." Said Valor, mimicking a small child. I smiled at him and picked some ice out of his soft feathers, patting him gently on his back afterwards. Unlike the rest of us, that lucky bird had had something to eat that morning, all because of my kind nature giving him the snacks that I happened to have with me at the time.

Shortly, we entered a forest filled with snow covered pines. The distinctive smell of such trees was so strong it almost stung. As if that weren't enough, most of the light seemed to be blocked out by them, and we found ourselves journeying through a form of midday twilight. However, there was something about it all that stopped me from hating it - something that made the cold and the dark seem insignificant, but that thing was unknown to me then. I thought it was maybe because I had been there sometime before, during another mission, which was the time when I befriended Ashe, but I had doubts about that explanation.

"We're almost there!" Shouted Jarvan, attempting to encourage the soldiers even further. "The glory of battle is near!"

"About God-damn time." Said Fiora. "I can't even feel my legs, and my neck is too stiff for me to look and see if they're still there."

I chuckled. "You have the worst of problems."

Shyvana stayed awfully quiet, but at least smiled.

Suddenly, every single soldier halted. Distant yells and screams stabbed our ears, as we saw smoke rising up. As soon as we were back to our senses, we sprinted, hoping so hard that we were not too late.

Truth was that we didn't even the reach the settlement of Ashe's tribe, because there was no way in which we could have. We were greeted by fleeing Avarossan soldiers, screaming at us to do the same. We didn't listen.

We advanced forwards some more before we saw them. In the split second in which I lay eyes on them I didn't even have time to recognise what they were. All I could recall was a big mass of... blackness?

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that Freljord could be attacked by creatures that nobody knew even existed. But it was happening. And I was in the midst of the blood bath.

"To hell with you!" yelled Fiora as she charged, although she didn't get far as she realized just how many there were. She stopped, horrified.

The creatures were closing in on us, forcing the soldiers closer and closer together. We were surrounded by monsters with bloodcurdling roars.

Jarvan was the one to awaken us, dashing forward and driving his spear into one of the creatures. The rest followed his lead, trying their best to make a dent in the monstrosities.

Valor wasted no time in charging at the creatures.

"Go for the eyes!" I yelled at him, and he penetrated what we thought would be their eyes with his sharp beak.

I tried my best to shoot at them, but my arms were shaking so wildly that most of my shots were uselessly off target. My mind had gone blank, and I suddenly knew nothing of combat. Valor was the only one to keep me in one piece.

Then I realized I wasn't the only one that needed it.

As the creatures persisted on attacking us, we fought back, which scattered us across a red-stained battle field. In the corner of my eye, further than everyone else, was Shyvana, desperately trying to take on one of the creatures.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't just turn my head and pretend I wasn't seeing her shaking figure. I had to go and help her.

I called out to Valor and he followed my orders. We headed over to the half dragon and attacked the monster to the best of our ability.

"Go! Run!" I yelled at Shyv, hoping that she would listen.

She hesitated for a moment but made the right choice and turned to flee. Valor and I were left to conquer the being all on our own, as we were too far from the rest now. Panic rushed through me as I spotted another few monsters approaching us, and I knew there was no way we could handle them.

"Val! Quick!" And with that we started running too, following Shyvana.

She had a good lead ahead of us, but we seemed to be catching up to her quickly, almost too quickly. She was weaker than I thought. As I reached her side, I grabbed hold of her arm and almost dragged her forward with me. A look over my shoulder let me know that the beasts were getting close.

"Quinn, I can't. Let go." Said Shyvana, trying to yank her arm free, but my grip was too strong and there was no way I was letting go.

"Just hold on!" I replied.

Just as my pace quickened, I heard Valor shriek a loud warning from above, but it was too late. Just as we exited the forest into some kind of clearing, we felt the ground beneath us disappear as a cold rush of air splashed onto our faces. My eyes had stopped working, and all my other senses followed. The world was nothing more than a black abyss.

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><p><em><strong>Note<strong>_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this "masterpiece" (lol). Please tell me if I got anything wrong like spelling/grammar/whatevs. _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

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><p><em>I walked through the door, entering a building full of Demacian soldiers. I knew no one there, for I grew up on the outskirts of the renowned city. I knew that I would have trouble making friends, so I was reluctant to even try. However, I realized that I didn't really have to. <em>

_She had walked up to me just as I was settling in. _

_"Are you a human?" She asked. _

_"As much as I can." I replied. Admittedly, I was frightened of her at first, because I had never seen a half dragon before. _

_We were still at most teenagers, and became friends in the awkward sort of way most people our age did. And come to think about it, I was very glad that we did. The Demacian army was a majestic thing to be part of, but it's no more than that, unless you have a sense of belonging, which was what she was always worried about. _

_"I just want a place to call home. Not just as in a place to live, but the first thing you think of when you're in trouble. Like as soon as you're there, at home, no harm in the whole world could get to you." That was what she'd say, and she'd say it so often, I came to remember it word by word. _

_I guess the true reason I was reluctant to making friends was because I knew I'd loose them, the way I'd lost Caleb. My heart broke into a million shards, which no longer work the way they should. It's as if a completed puzzle was torn apart, and some of the pieces removed so that it could never be put together again. Removed by the loss of my beloved brother, the very person I see whenever I close my eyes to sleep and whenever I open then to wake._

_But I had to be friends with Shyvana. It just seemed like we were after similar things, so our friendship came naturally. I had lost Caleb, and there was no way I was losing Shyvana._

* * *

><p>I awoke with a horrible head ache, and a horrible feeling of paralysis. My muscles were ignoring me completely. However, I had to force my eye lids open as I heard the sound of footsteps, and shortly the sound of someone breathing. As my eyes adjusted to the sudden light, I almost jumped as I saw someone towering over me.<p>

"W-who are you?" I asked, my voice not coming out right and it squeaked awkwardly. This didn't seem to cause any expression to be displayed by the observer.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing." She said, her voice cold like the snow and unforgiving like the wind.

I hesitated. "I asked you first."

"Yeah, but I'm the one standing with a weapon while you lie there on the ground. Who's gonna batter who?"

My eyes drifted to the bola she held in her right hand. Suddenly, I felt obedient.

"I'm one of the Demacian soldiers, sent here to help the Avarossan. I'm Quinn."

Her face darkened. "Why are you helping them?"

"You still haven't told me who..."

"Answer me!" She yelled. Her voice felt like an earthquake, shaking everything around it.

"They were attacked and needed help."

"By who?"

"I don't know... dark creatures like nothing I've ever seen before."

She lowered her gaze onto the ground. "Sejuani." She said.

"What?"

"My name, stupid." She paused as she looked at me, her eyes piercing mine. "I lead the Winter's Claw."

I was taken aback by her rank, but felt better as soon as I heard a familiar shriek. Valor descended onto the ground besides me and pinched my nose with his beak.

"Is he your bird? The damn thing. He wouldn't leave us in peace till we came and found you and the dragon."

Shyvana.

My head jerked to one side then the other, looking for her. All I could see was plain white snow and a low cliff above us. I realized that must have been the place we fell from, and felt grateful that it wasn't a big fall. Despite that, my eyes still searched for the dragon born.

"Relax, Demacian." She pointed behind her and I stood up so I could see the ferocious boar with a feeble body strapped to it. It all made sense to me. Her weakness was in no way caused by the lack of rest. Something was actually wrong with her. "We're taking her back home to help her, and we were gonna do the same to you. Luckily, you woke up just in time."

I let out a sigh of relief. As I stood up, I overestimated the power of my joints and fell forward as my knees deceived me. I braced myself for the impact that never came, as a pair of arms held onto to me, returning my balance. She let go as soon as I was steady.

"Thanks..." I said gratefully.

She avoided my gaze as she headed towards the boar, mumbling something about weakness. I followed her to the animal and watched in awe as she mounted it without effort, as if gravity was nonexistent. Behind her wide saddle was Shyvana, tied loosely as if she was a piece of luggage. All I could do was hope that she'd be alright.

"Come on. You forgot how to move?" Sejuani gestured for me to climb up. "D'you want your friend to survive or not? If it calms you down, there's someone in my tribe that's dealt with something like this before." She waited as I tried to figure out how to get up onto the saddle, which was almost higher than my head. "Just move your damned ass!"

I took a deep breath and sprung forward to grab the edge of the saddle, trying to pull myself up. I would have been successful, but my muscles still felt numb and rigid and I ended up dropping back down simultaneously as Sejuani's sigh of frustration. Valor let out a mocking shriek. She gestured for me to do it again, so I did. This time, she grabbed my arms and hauled me up, her unexpected strength almost making me fall off the other side.

"Hold onto the back of it." She said, and after noticing my puzzlement she added, "The saddle. The back of the saddle."

Shortly, she gave the boar a kick to get him moving. I turned round to make sure Shyvana was alright and it seemed that the tribe leader had done a good job when she tied her down. I noticed the straps weren't too tight to cut off her blood flow and not too loose as to let her fall.

" How far is your tribe?" I asked.

" On foot, it would have taken half a day, but Bristle here makes the journey easier. He'll get us there in a couple of hours. Deep snow was never a problem for him."

The journey as a whole was tiring, not because of the cold or its length, but simply because it took me a while to get used to the way Bristle walked. His stride was heavy, much like his owner's, and with every stomp of his feet I felt myself lose my balance, again and again and again, which always brought some sort of humorous comment from Val.

" How can you understand that bird?" Sejuani asked me at some point.

" His name is Valor. We grew up together."

"The half dragon - is she your friend?"

"Yes. When I joined the Demacian army, she was the one that always helped me and guided me through all the confusing conduct." I replied.

Sejuani nodded.

"What's with all the questions?" I asked her.

"I don't like strangers coming into my tribe."

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><p>We finally came to see them - small huts, each one belonging to a member of the Winter's Claw. As we neared them, we dismounted and continued the last few steps on foot, as Sejuani insisted.<p>

Surprisingly, we were greeted by an old man with a crooked walk, who came up to me in a hurry. He attempted to speak but all I could make out were mumblings. He pointed at one of my arrows and seemed fascinated by them as a reflection of the gleaming metal sparkled in his eyes.

I reached and grabbed hold of one of the arrows and was about to hand it to him if it weren't for a firm grip on my wrist.

Sejuani shook her head, giving me a disapproving look. "Don't give him that 'cause he's stupid and puts it in his mouth." She paused and glanced at the man. "His name's Makechau. Ignore him. He should have died long ago but somehow never did. Damn man must be made out of the devil's steel."

She led Bristle forwards, allowing him to almost trample the madman. I followed them patiently into the tribe, receiving a few odd looks from the people. Something told me that they didn't have many "tourists".

"Come on." the tribe leader said, " She's in here." She pointed towards a hut decorated with the skeletons of various creatures and animals. I was reluctant to follow her inside, but the urge to help Shyv dragged me on.

At the far end of the single room stood an elderly woman, dressed in dark long robes with bones of different sizes carefully sewn onto the sleeves and collar. She looked up warily as we walked in, and upon nearing the center of the room, Sejuani kneeled down, gesturing for me to do the same. It was odd that the tribe leader would have to show such respect for an old woman. If anything, this reinforced my hopes for the half dragon.

"We have a half dragon. She's just like the last." said Sejuani.

"Bring her in."

The tribe leader stood up and headed outside. I followed, willing to help her carry Shyvana, but once again, she gave me a disapproving shake of her head and I remained with the old woman.

I got a good look at her and realized that one of her eyes was too cloudy to be functional, while the other darted around in its socket. I was relieved when Sejuani returned, as the woman had started to scare me.

Shyvana was placed onto a bed in the corner of the room, and the woman looked over her, running her hand above her body, stopping once at her head and then at her feet. She mumbled something.

"She is worse than the last one." She said. Her voice stung my ears. "I fear we may be too late. The antidote I have only worked because the individual had some strength left. This one... this one is too weak."

Suddenly, I felt my knees melting away beneath me.

"Well what's wrong with her?" I asked, desperate for an answer.

"The disease is only present in people like her. Half dragons. We don't know the cause, but we do know it kills them." She looked into my eyes, stabbing my skull with her mind. "I'm sorry. I will look after her, but I can't promise a life."

"Come on." Sejuani whispered, heading outside.

I remained, frozen, my eyes glued on Shyv.

"Demacian, we have to go." She repeated.

Slowly, I stood up and headed towards the door. I took one last look at the dragonborn, hoping for a last minute miracle. Nothing happened.

I followed Sejuani outside, choosing to trust an old woman with bones around her neck.

"I... I can't believe it." I whispered, tears threatening to escape my eyes. "After everything that's happened... one stupid disease..."

"That's how it works. That's how it should be. Fight, or make room for those who will. Shyvana could no longer go out on the battlefield, and this is faith." I couldn't make out if the tribe leader wanted to comfort me or upset me.

I sighed. "That's not how it is. Sometimes you can't let a person go just because they're weak. You hold on to them, no matter how much they drag you down, and you try your best to pull them back up."

"Well, you've gone a long way down trying to get her back up."

"I know."

Sejuani paused, as if she was thinking. "You need someone else to pull you _and _her back up." She looked straight into my eyes. "We're gonna find a cure."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

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><p>The screams and yells were gone, but the pain remained. Many Demacian and Avarossan soldiers were wounded, and a few (though not many) even killed. The creatures were something that we were not prepared for, but I, as a duelist, could not let that bring me down. By the end of the blood bath, I walked out with barely any injuries, and was therefore appointed to attend to the wounded warriors who weren't as lucky (or as skilled) as me.<p>

I helped the Avarossan healers do their thing, although what was once the tribe now stood in the debris of destroyed huts and buildings. I chuckled at the thought of Ashe turning to ash, but shook the idea away as it wasn't an appropriate time for humour.

When I was done, I finally had the time to clean my blade and armour. I had realized that the creatures shed no blood, other than a black, viscous liquid.

Eventually, my thoughts wandered to Shyvana and Quinn.

The last time I had seen them was when they were running. I should have gone after them, but there were other soldiers yelling for my help so I was not able to. The only thing I could do was trust in my friends' fighting ability.

_Friends. _

That was true. I had known Quinn for a long time, as I had met her a few months after she joined Demacia's army. However, I wouldn't say that Shyvana and I got along that well... although that would be complete nonsense after what happened before this journey...

"Fiora," I heard Jarvan call, "we're missing soldiers."

"The only ones I'm aware of are Quinn and Shyvana, sir." I answered.

"Quinn and Shyvana?" he paused for a moment. "The eagle and the half dragon." he muttered under his breath, as if he was only talking to himself.

"Yes, sir. I have looked for them in the vicinity but found no trace of them. I cannot be sure that they're safe, we must search for them at once!"

"Wow, calm yourself. I have other pressing matters to attend to. I'm sure they'll be alright in the meantime. If you notice anyone else missing, inform me immediately." He answered plainly.

"What would be the point in that if you don't go looking for them?" I mumbled as he walked away. I sighed. "This cannot be the man Quinn fell in love with."

Later on, we were informed that we should set up our tents here for a few days before even attempting to track down the monsters. In a way, that felt like good news. If Shyvana and Quinn were to return, we'd be right where they left us.

"Be safe..." I whispered as if they could hear me. "Take care of Shyv for me, Quinn."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

* * *

><p>I sneezed for the fifth time as I picked up yet another dusty book.<p>

"Does your tribe ever use these?" I asked her.

"No." she scoffed. "Unless they broke too many bones to fight and too little to die." Her words were harsh, but there was something about her voice that made me think otherwise. Maybe it's like when something is so cold it actually starts feeling hot.

The title of the book read "Diseases - Vol III". I opened it and was greeted with the sight of yellow pages with unclear, yet legible writing. There was no contents page, so I sat down at a table and began scanning the text.

There was no one else in this so-called library, as you would expect in a tribe of warriors. This, however, rendered some of the books useless due to years of dust and mold, and some of the shelves were close to collapsing. There was a family of arctic foxes living in a burrow they made in one of the corners, and the smell of their decaying prey was slowly filling the whole room. To my surprise, I don't think Sejuani noticed the stench, or maybe she didn't mind it.

"What does it say?" she asked suddenly.

I looked over my shoulder at her towering figure behind me peering at the book from over my head. After a few moments, she lifted her eyes of the paper and locked them with mine, their icy blue enveloping me. It was really cold in Freljord, but for those few seconds, I stopped feeling it.

Shortly, she cleared her throat and fixed her gaze onto the ground. "So, what's it say?"

I moved my chair towards the edge of the table and pulled another into the space I had made, signalling for her to sit down next to me and she did so. I placed the book in between us.

"Here." I said.

She pushed it back towards me and shook her head, her eyes avoiding mine. "I can't read." She said bluntly.

I paused while I processed what she had said. As I looked at her, I noticed that she looked away and fiddled with her fingers under the table. Was she embarrassed?

I placed the book in between us again, took hold of one of her hands and placed it on the text.

"I'll teach you. You know, as payment for helping me." I smiled at her, and although she didn't smile back, she seemed pleased with the idea as she nodded.

"But that'll take time." she said. "Shyvana needs your help now. I can wait."

I chuckled. "It won't take time. You'll pick it up quickly, I'm sure. Just follow the text as I read it."

As I read out loud, my finger pointed at each word as I was saying it, until we had gotten through the whole book, missing the chapters that didn't sound promising for our search. Unfortunately, we found nothing about the diseases of a half-dragon.

I let out a sigh of frustration.

"That's alright." Said Sejuani. She pointed at the "III" on the cover. "You said that's three. There must be other book like this one. We just need to find them."

"It's getting late. This should be a job for tomorrow, we're both tired." I replied and she nodded.

Outside, we were greeted by Bristle with a Valor buried in his thick fur. I chuckled at the cute sight. Out of the corner of my eye, I also spotted Makechau, making himself a bed out of the fallen snow.

"Doesn't he have somewhere to sleep?" I asked Sejuani.

"He does." She replied. "He should live with his sister, but never does. I tell you, that man is so close to death and yet never actually dies."

I laughed. "Have you ever seen a dead devil?"

She looked at me and, for the first time since I arrived, a smile spread across her lips. It was a warm smile, which made as much sense as a snowman in the summer, but it suited her in a wonderful way.

"That reminds me," she said, her smile vanishing, "we need to find a place for you to sleep in. We rarely have guests staying with us, so technically no inns or anything of the sort, and I doubt my cynical people would accept a stranger..." she paused to think for a while. "There's only one bed in my hut, but I'm sure you'll prefer the floor rather than the snow outside."

"I would be grateful if you'd let me stay." I said, agreeing.

She and Bristle led me and Valor towards the center of the tribe to a hut decorated with skins of different beasts and various weapons. As Bristle remained outside in a form of shelter built specially for him, we were taken inside.

Sejuani hadn't lied, as there was truthfully only one bed which wasn't very wide, but thankfully she had spare blankets which I arranged into a relatively comfortable nest on the floor. We went to sleep without any dinner that night, as Sejuani had said hunting wasn't going well and something about how there's little life in the surrounding forests left.

However, my growling stomach wasn't the thing that worried me. I feared for everyone back at the Avarossan tribe and wondered if they were alright, but most of all, I feared for Shyvana, as if her whole life was solely in my hands.

_No. _I thought. _It's not just me. The healer will help her. _My eyes looked over at Sejuani's sleeping figure on the bed. _And Sejuani. I know she'll help her, because I know she'll help me._

Valor and I huddled together in an attempt to banish the cold that stung our bones, but to no avail. We fell asleep in something that felt like a blanket of ice, alone in a room with a taciturn warrior, while our friends either battled a disease or horrific monsters.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

* * *

><p><em>There she was. A stranger in my tribe, welcomed with open arms. For what? Her sick friend? I didn't want to tell her, but I doubt she will ever get better. I don't want her to die, of course, but the Demacian's hopes are too high. Demacian... that's what I call her? Why wouldn't I call her Quinn? Because she's a stranger. And that leads me back to square one. <em>

_My tribe should have been no place for them. What was I thinking? Bringing the two of them over here, as if I cared whether they lived or died. They were helping the damned Avarossan, they deserve to die just for that. But she doesn't... I mean, _they_ don't. But why would the Avarossan even need Demacia's help? Attacked? By creatures that Quinn couldn't identify? History repeating itself, like the time when I was a child? _

_Many believe that my siblings died of hunger. I know better. _

_I told them to stay close to the tribe, I know I did. But they didn't listen. They headed out into the woods anyway, just to breathe their last breaths in the wilderness and I was the only one to see it happen. When I told my parents, they rushed into the forest, as if they thought they would be able to find them alive, but I know that they found nothing more than corpses. And the creatures were waiting for them when they did. _

_They were monsters, like nothing I had ever seen, a pure mass of darkness enveloping anyone who opposed them. After the death of my family, I knew that one day they would come after me. There's something about them, as if they never forget. They never forget who escaped their wrath._

_I escaped, and if we're on about the same creatures, so did Quinn and the dragon. That leads to only one conclusion. They're heading towards the Winter's Claw. _

_I need to wake up, to warn my people and Quinn, but my muscles don't budge. I have no choice but to rest until I'm ready, partly blaming the reading "lesson" for tiring me out._

_ I start feeling guilty as soon as I've thought that, because I know that I've always wanted to read. I've always wanted to be able to roam through our so-called library and be able to emerge into a world of faded words but I never could. My parents never taught me how to read and write, and I doubt they were very good at it themselves. And anyway, they never got that chance..._

_When I listened to Quinn read... I felt something. I stared at her in awe, but I don't think she realized. She was doing what I always dreamed of, and it was so easy for her... it seemed almost... unfair. Normally, I would hate her for that, but I didn't. I carried on listening as she brought each word to life in a way that I imagined only she could. At the end, I didn't want her to stop, as if her voice breathed life into_ me_ as well as the words._

_Maybe saving them wasn't a bad idea. I know it was uncommon for me to do so, but they were different, and somehow, I realized that as soon as Valor had grabbed my attention. That bird... he sure does know how to annoy you. And he sure does know how to use that sharp beak of his. He was lucky that I didn't kill him straight away after he'd scared off that hare I was after. I swear that it's his fault we have no dinner, as hunting has gotten terrible over the last few days. _

_There's literally nothing left. Which rises more suspicion. Just how close are these creatures? The monsters... _

_I tried to wake up again and found that I was able to move my arm. Exhaustion gone, I sat up._

* * *

><p>I woke up at the sound of the hut's squeaky floor, followed by a gentle tug of my arm. I opened my eyes to find Sejuani looking down at me.<p>

"Wake up." She said. "I think the creatures will come after us."

I sat up, my head suddenly feeling lighter than it really was. Valor gave a shriek of disapproval as he attempted to get back under the blanket.

"What?" I asked, feeling too dizzy to be able to process information.

"Listen, I'm not sure if they'll get to us, but there's a damned chance that they will. I will warn my soldiers shortly while you go and find the other books we needed. I will meet you there." She said as she quickly fitted her armour on and went outside, not even flinching at the freezing wind.

"Right Val." I said. "Come on, don't waste time."

I tried to stand up, but my bones were stiff from the cold and wouldn't move without several loud clicks. As I looked at my hands and feet I realized that they had gone a weird shade of purple, which triggered a few amused whistles from Valor.

"It's not funny." I said to him. "If they drop off it will be your fault for hogging the blanket."

Back in the library, I resumed my search for the other books. In theory, there should have been at least two others, but I couldn't find any. As my frustration grew, I was interrupted by the sound of footsteps walking towards me.

"I can't find them, Sejuani." I said to her.

"What are you looking for?" Said a raspy voice, which I recognised as the old healer. Surprised, I spun round to face her, embarrassed for calling her Sejuani. "Don't be startled by me." She chuckled. "You are here to help the dragon, right?"

I nodded. "How is she doing?"

She sighed. "Not well, I'm afraid. I have given her the medicine that I had but it didn't have an effect. I have gone to the boundaries of my knowledge, and she's still asleep."

My heart sank.

The healer's eyes (or more like _eye_) looked over at the table Sejuani and I sat at yesterday and spotted the book we had read.

"Ahh." She said. "I remember that book."

"Do you know where I can find the others?"

The healer nodded slowly. "Of course. We have both of them."

"Both?"

"Yes. What you have here is only one of the two." She picked it up with her shaking hands and turned to the inside of the back cover. There was a small pocket sewn to it neatly, thing which I hadn't noticed before. She opened it and removed a long piece of thread. "This, is one of the two items needed to make the final artefact. Logically, they're located in each book."

"So what do they make? And how does that help Shyvana? And why are there only two if the book says it's volume three?" I asked her.

"We know that they make a type of necklace. We are unsure as to what the necklace does." She paused. "But we know for a fact that there's only ever been two books, labelled volume two and three, and there was never a first."

"What? That can't be."

"What if I told you it can?"

I thought about it for a moment. "A trick. Maybe to make you think there's three so you'd spend all your time searching for the first and never actually unleashing their secret?"

The healer smiled. "They all think like that." She chuckled. "No. The reason they're labelled the way they are is to indicate that there's something else that must be used in harmony with the artefact. Something which the author deemed more important and therefore made it come first."

I nodded. "Where's the second book?"

She pointed to a chest under an old desk in the corner. I went over to it and opened it, realizing that it was heavier than it looked. Once opened, I was harassed by several big spiders that dashed to safety away from the sudden light, but my attention was focused on the pile of books inside. I took them out, one by one, until I found volume II. At the back, just like in the other one, was a pocket. As I opened it, I found a bright red ruby with a small hole at the top, so that it could be put through the thread. However, unlike other rubies, this one seemed to... glow.

The healer handed me the thread she was holding and I hung the ruby onto it, making it glow even more as it came in contact with the thread.

"Right." I said. "Now it's time to find out what it does." I hesitated before I put it on, but nothing happened. I sighed and took it off.

"Where's the leader?" she asked suddenly.

"She's warning the soldiers. She thinks the monsters are coming."

"The ones that attacked the Avarossan? The ones that you fled before the dragon fell into this state of sleep?"

I stared at her for a few moments. "How do you know?"

She laughed. "I may only see the world out of one eye, but that doesn't mean the other is useless. It just shows me other things. Things which people may call useless. Things which I learnt to bend in my favour."

I looked at her still eye, noticing how it looked as if it was covered in a thick fog.

"Now tell me, what made you think Sejuani could learn to read?" She asked me.

I was taken aback again, but got some words together to form an answer. "I thought she might want to."

She shook her head. "She's always wanted to, but she can't. What she doesn't remember is that she was actually taught when she was younger, but the reason the lessons didn't persist was because she simply couldn't. She looked at the letters and said they merged together and she couldn't make out what they were. Don't waste your time. She won't learn."

"It's because they didn't know how to teach me." Her voice rang and echoed throughout the entire room, and I think a few of the shelves trembled. "I think you have a dragon to attend to."

The healer smiled as she turned to go, receiving a cold look from Sejuani as she went.

The tribe leader then turned to face me. She sighed, probably in an attempt to make her anger reside. "What did you find?" she asked calmly.

I hesitated, not sure if I should comfort her about the reading thing or just let it pass. Either way, I was still determined to keep my side of the bargain. She cleared her throat, signalling she was impatient for my answer.

"This." I lifted the necklace up so that she could see, suddenly realizing that it was glowing brighter than before.

Sejuani approached me further, trying to get a better look, and as she did so, the light the ruby emitted intensified even more.

"Wow." I said.

"What does it do?" She asked, just as curious as I was.

"I don't know. I put it on earlier and nothing happened... Then as soon as you came in..." I paused and looked up and Sejuani. "Maybe it's you that made this happen."

"I really doubt that..."

I didn't even let her finish as I slid it over her head. The light had become so strong that I had to squint in order to look at it.

"Feel anything?" I asked her.

She didn't answer as she looked down, her hand reaching up to her chest and placed flat just below her collarbone. She held her breath for a few moments before letting out a sigh. Shortly, her eyes were lifted off the ground and locked into mine.

"Yes." She removed the necklace and handed it back to me. "It's like a warm feeling. It starts where the ruby touches and slowly spreads." She shook her head. "I don't see how this helps. You try it."

I looked down at the necklace, noticing that it was still incredibly bright. I put it on and felt the same thing.

"I don't get it. It wasn't working before."

Sejuani shrugged. "Still, how does this help your dragon?"

I removed the ruby from the thread, causing the light to diminish completely. "We never know. It might have an effect on her. She's the sick one, not us."

"Then why are we here? Let's go try it."

We headed outside, where Bristle and Valor were waiting.

"You done smooching or what?" Said Valor boldly.

I turned towards him quickly, giving him a staggered look. "What?" I said, but received only laughter from his behalf. "What on earth, Val..." I quickly disregarded his comment as I followed Sejuani into the healer's hut only a few steps away.

She knocked on the door and when we heard no reply we simply entered. The room was empty, except for Shyv still lying on the bed, looking the same as she always had.

I placed the ruby back onto the thread, making it light up again. Sejuani lifted Shyv's head gently as I put the necklace around her neck, surprised to find that the light had vanished as soon as I had done so. So there it was, a useless "artefact".

I let out one of many sighs of frustration. "What have we done wrong?"

"Maybe we need something else." The tribe leader suggested.

"But it worked before..." I paused to think about it. "The healer said there's only two books because the first isn't a book at all... So what is it?"

"Wait, there's only two?"

I nodded. "There's something else that needs to be used in harmony with the artefact."

A short silence followed.

"What other people did Shyvana know?" Sejuani asked suddenly.

"Why would that matter?"

"Maybe there's a correlation between the necklace and the people present?"

"I doubt that's it..." I answered.

"I'm not stupid." Her voice hardened.

"I didn't mean..."

"You did. Perhaps you didn't realize it, but that's what you meant. It's just reading and writing I can't do, so don't think otherwise!" She turned away from me and fixed her gaze onto the floor.

"Sejuani..."

"It's always been like that. I was always the leader of these people and they always saw me and referred to me as that. But they also thought I didn't have the brain to do things. They thought that's why I declined Ashe's peace treaty. They thought all my decisions were wrong, not because they were, but because _I _was the one that made them." Her voice changed by the end of her sentence, as if it was breaking.

I walked around her so I could face her, and when she tried to turn away I grabbed onto her arms to stop her. I looked straight into her eyes, noticing that tears were threatening to escape as her lower lip trembled slightly. I could have never imagined someone like her be on the verge of crying, and yet here she was, a taciturn warrior vulnerable under my grip.

I didn't know what to do, so I simply pulled her closer and enveloped her into my embrace and to my surprise, she didn't resist against it. There was one small, solitary sob as she rested her head on my shoulder, but soon there was nothing other than golden silence and the comfortable feel of the hug.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

* * *

><p>The Avarossan were kind enough to share all their supplies with us while Ashe and Jarvan worked erratically to create a plan. I chuckled at the idea of that because I knew for a fact that they knew no more than the rest of us did. Not to mention the Prince's messed up priorities.<p>

Neither Quinn nor Shyvana came back. I am led to believe that they are either lost or injured and no matter how much I try to ignore this horrible feeling I find myself unable to. My hatred towards Jarvan does nothing but grow towards his ignorance.

Eventually, I got my nerve together and packed some supplies. I wasn't going to sit and way while guilt worked away at my consciousness, so I was ready to set off and find them. I had to. I needed to know that Shyv was alright...

* * *

><p>I was already in the inn, enjoying my drink of the finest wine. The world around me was nothing more than a chaos of laughter and idle conversations. A world I was not part of sitting solitarily at a table.<p>

Shyvana walked in wearily through the door and looked around for a place to sit and rest. I raised my hand and greeted her a bit too merrily. She hesitated, but eventually came forward and sat by me.

"How is my dragon doing?" I asked her.

"Fiora, you're drunk." She replied, her voice tired but surprisingly not annoyed.

I laughed at her comment, disregarding it as if it wasn't true. "Have some if you want." I gestured towards the bottle of wine.

She grabbed it and brought it to her mouth, taking a couple of big gulps.

"I thought you'd use a glass when I offered..." I remarked.

"Next time, don't offer then." She said with smile slowly spreading across her lips.

I chuckled. There was something strange about Shyvana. No matter how I looked at her, she was a beast, but at the same time she had a kind heart and I was never scared to test her temper, because I knew she wouldn't harm me. How did I know that? How could I be sure that simple Demacian laws would stop a brutal dragon from shredding me? I couldn't, and yet I was.

"Are you feeling ok?" I asked her, noticing that she seemed distant.

She looked up at me. "Oh, yeah. I just feel really tired... that's all."

"Ok. You better feel alright soon. If a battle breaks out I don't want you getting in the way of my swift blade."

"Oh, Fiora. Always so modest. How do you do it?" She said mockingly.

I smiled. "It runs through my veins."

"Like that foreign blood of yours."

"It was a buy one get one free offer."

Her laugh was also one of the things that were odd about Shyvana. It was something that always pleased the ears, as if it had never come out of a dragon's mouth, shaped by her fiery breath. It didn't sound completely human either though, but it was the main reason why I ever bothered to be funny.

I filled my glass up to the brim with wine. There wasn't much left in the bottle.

"Ahem."Said Shyvana, grabbing my attention. "Do you want me to die of thirst?" The smirk on her face fueled my sudden burst of confidence.

"How careless of me." I said before leaning towards her, placing my hand on her cheek and sealing our lips. "I hope this will do." I said as I pulled away, returning her smirk from earlier.

She stood there for a few moments, motionless, trying to piece together what had happened. I could say that I didn't doubt my actions, but that would be a lie. I waited for her to respond as I felt my heart try to escape my chest with every heavy beat.

Finally, she smiled. "That wasn't the same as a sip of wine, but just as staggering."

She moved closer to return the favour, but there was never a chance. The doors to the inn burst open.

"Jarvan requests that all soldiers report _at once_!" Were the words that echoed around the whole room. Men and women alike rushed outside, not even half expecting the horrors that we had witnessed...

Not even half expecting that they'll be separated from the ones they love...

* * *

><p>I shook my head, trying again and again to push the memory to the back of my head, but it was far stronger than I was. I decided to focus on my plan instead. I was to head out of our camp, trying hard to go by unnoticed. Then, I was to head North, in the direction which I had last seen them running. According to the sneak peak I took at one of Jarvan's maps, there should be a small cliff nearby in that direction, so I might perhaps encounter a dead end and resort to looking for their tracks. It was an unusual plan for me, as it seemed more like something an uncivilised hunter would do, not a duelist, but I had to find them.<p>

I managed to leave the camp successfully, and headed North, paying constant heed to my compass. The cold of Freljord chilled me to the bone as I traversed through the thick layer of snow.

I didn't get very far when I heard them. I jerked my head to the left and there they were. I jumped to one side as a tree fell down, ready to crush me, but missed. I got on my feet as soon as I could, and ran back to warn the others.

"No..." I whispered to myself. "Not again."

As I entered our camp again, I felt my neck rip as I shouted with all my strength. "They're back! The creatures are back!"

Jarvan approached me with great trepidation. "You saw them? Why were you out wandering? I gave strict orders..."

"I don't care! They're here and if we don't move we'll die!" I shoved him to one side and raised my voice towards all the soldiers. "Grab everything you can and run! Head East!"

"East?" I heard Ashe remark. "East? To the Winter's Claw?"

I turned to her. "They came from the West. I know that for a fact... I was heading North... they came from my left. We need to run in the opposite direction!" I turned to everyone again. "East! Flee to the East!"

Nobody hesitated. Nobody wanted to be left behind. Nobody wished to die.

The Winter's Claw... Maybe they'll help us. Rivalries put aside, we're all here to survive.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

* * *

><p>Sejuani sat down at the table while I looked through the library for a book on the artefact we had acquired. Weirdly, the actual books we obtained the necklace from held no information themselves.<p>

"Ah..." I heard Sejuani mutter to herself. "Beh..." Pause. "Cah, ceh, cee..." She paused again and looked up. "Why does this one have more than one pronunciation?"

I sighed. "It depends on the letter that follows. It usually merges with their sound. A lot of letters do this. I remember telling you this at the beginning."

She nodded. "Sorry. I forgot."

"That's ok. Carry on practicing."I felt guilty for my previous tone.

I had given her two pieces of paper - I had written the alphabet on one and left the other blank for her to copy it again and again. I told her the sounds all the letters made and after some time, she managed to remember most of them.

She didn't say much to me after we had left the healer's hut, as if she seemed embarrassed. I tried to engage into a fuller conversation, but her cold personality made it difficult, no matter what. I didn't mind, of course, but I just wanted her to know that everything's alright. That she will learn even if it takes all the time I have in a lifetime.

I scanned through book after book, trying to find anything that might at least set us on the right path, but there was nothing. All the non-fiction books were useless, and I hadn't bothered checking the fiction, as they were all children's stories.

For some reason, I had taken a particular interest in a series of books about Freljord's healing techniques and mysteries. I had taken time to learn about peculiar herbs that seemed to grow specially in these northern and bitter lands, hoping that it might be of some use, rather than for my personal selfish curiosity. As I read, I recalled most of the described plants, as I had seen them scattered about in the healer's hut, although I seemed to better remember their stinging smell. As my knowledge on said irrelevant topics grew, my annoyance intensified.

"Nothing." I said in frustration. "Not a single book talks of a glowy ruby attached to a golden thread, found in two separate books which are numbered two and three..." I chuckled. "Huh, it sounds weirder out loud."

I looked at Sejuani, and although she was still looking down at the paper, I could see half of a wonderful smile.

"How are your letter doing?" I asked her.

She sighed. "Alright. I've copied them out." She rubbed her eyes wearily. "Is my vision supposed to go funny?"

I pulled a chair and sat next to her, examining her handwriting. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Now what happened here?" I pointed at her trembling S's. "Just because it's cold doesn't mean your letters have to shiver."

She grabbed the pencil and wrote another S, but not with much improval.

"Right. Hold still for a second." I took hold of her hand and clumsily positioned her fingers correctly on the pencil (my own numb purple fingers didn't make it easy). Then, I carried on holding her hand as I brought it down to the paper and wrote an S simultaneously, hoping she'd remember the movement. "Now try it on your own."

She did so hesitantly, but succeeded in writing a nearly perfect S.

Then, I got her to remember every sound of each letter, before announcing that we'll be spelling an actual word.

"Let's write your name." I said. "Think about it and th..."

"Can I," she interrupted, "write yours? Your name I mean."

"Are you sure? Why mine?"

She stuttered. "B-because... it might be easier? And you're the one who taught me after all... A-and..."

I chuckled. "Alright. Think about it, then write whatever you think is right. Then I'll check it."

I tried my best to not sound as if I was teaching a child, but I didn't Sejuani seemed to mind. She stared at the paper for a while before writing something. It read _Cuin. __  
><em>

"Almost." I said. "My name is confusing to spell, you could say." I took the pencil and wrote _Quinn. _

She frowned. "But C, K and Q have the same sounds, why does it matter? And why do you need a double N?"

"I don't know, it's just the way things work. You just have to remember the correct way."

She nodded and spelt my name right the second time. Shortly, the page was filled up with other words and names which she wanted to know the spelling of. The tribe leader had also managed to read some words that I had given her, even though with a lot of difficulty.

"Maybe you'd like to practice with an actual book?" I asked her, gesturing towards the shelves. "Go pick one. Any."

Sejuani stood up and walked alongside the shelves, looking at each book in turn. Finally, she had picked up one that seemed less dusty than the others and brought it onto the table.

Suddenly, a loud noise pierced the library, coming from outside. We rushed to the door.

"Oh, not him again." I heard Sejuani mutter.

Outside, rummaging through the snow and piles of rubbish was a giant poro. It had knocked over a pile of old and rusty pans that were piled up outside someone's house, while the owner tried to shoo him away.

In the distance, Makechau was running towards the big fluffy thing, waving his arms in the air.

"Mah parah, mah parah." He yelled, a long thread of saliva hanging from his mouth.

"That's his... pet?" I asked Sejuani. "What on earth... why is it so massive?"

"The Mega Poro? Yeah, it's his." She noticed my confused expression. "I don't know what the hell he feeds him, but that fluff ball is as big as Bristle."

"Wow."

She nodded. "I wonder how it must feel like to ride it into battle."

I elbowed her gently. "You can't seriously be thinking of..."

She smiled. "Try me."

I couldn't help but smile back.

Makechau turned towards us and added his own toothless smile to the equation, before looking past the library, replacing his happiness with terror. "B-big cloud... cahming... IT'S CAHMING! STAHP ET!" He began pulling his beloved pet away at a hasty pace.

"What the f..." Sejuani took a few steps forward and turned to look behind the building. Her eyes widened, but a smirk spread across her lips. "I WANT MY SOLDIERS READY NOW!" She yelled, making the ground shake, summoning a horde of armed men and women almost instantly.

She mounted Bristle and took hold of her weapon as I called for Valor. In the distance, I saw what looked like a crowd of people, with a single one running faster than everyone else, heading towards us. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that was Fiora. But further away than them was a dark and dense cloud of blackness, getting closer and closer, as if it was going to reach us in mere moments. My heart skipped a beat. Or two. Maybe three. I'm surprised it didn't stop all together.

"Sejuani, they're the monst..."

"I know." She looked at me. "Trust me. I know. Take care Quinn."

"You too."

She smiled one last time before leading us forward. "KILL ALL THE BEASTS, LEAVE THE HUMANS! AND PROTECT THE HEALER'S HUT AT ALL COSTS!" As we charged, I heard her mutter, "Don't worry about Shyv, Quinn. I keep promises."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter X

* * *

><p>Blood rushed through my veins as the soldiers of Freljord charged behind Sejuani, joined by a single Demacian soul accompanied with an eagle. I realized just how much I stood out against a background of brutal warriors, covered in thick furs and impenetrable armour, carrying weapons the size of their own bodies, with a weight greater than theirs.<p>

The fleeing men and women had seen us and parted into two groups, allowing us to charge through the middle, while they joined through the sides. They were exhausted, but served well as back ups for the Winter's Claw, whose soldiers dashed forward as if battling mere rabbits.

In the midst of the chaos, I managed to spot Fiora joining the fight, and rushed over to help her.

"I've got your back!" I said to her, shooting frantically at the beasts and leading Valor forward to blind them.

My arrows seemed to do as much damage as splinters, but at least it distracted them as Valor and Fiora pounced on one of the creatures, somehow knocking it to the ground. The duelist drove her blade straight through its head, causing it to let out a petrifying shriek as it froze and slowly faded like scattered ashes in the wind.

There was no time for any form of victorious feeling as more beasts headed towards us. The soldiers all around us were doing a great job, now that we all fought united, but I wasn't stupid enough to ignore several human corpses amongst the dark ashes.

The air thickened as yells and screams surrounded us. The number of monsters seemed to go down quickly, but that gave us nothing other than false hope. As I had killed another, my head rose to the sight of several trees being knocked down. There was no time to even shout a warning as something more immense and horrifying burst out of the forest and into the clearing.

It was higher than ten men put together, and revealed a wide set of fangs as it roared, grabbing everyone's attention. It was as dark as the others, but twice as wide and fierce.

"Focus on the big one!" I heard Fiora yell, her voice weakened, but filled with determination. Almost at once, the warriors charged towards it and tried to injure it in whatever way they could, but failed.

However, I noticed something. Sejuani was not leading them like I knew she would. I looked around and saw her, crouched down at Bristle's side and ran towards them, faster than I ever thought myself capable of.

"What's happened?" I asked her and immediately felt scared of the answer.

"Bristle's injured. He can't get up. Damned beasts!" She looked towards the beasts, which were now focused on all the other warriors. "I can't leave him."

"Don't worry, I'll stay with him, you go! They need you more than they need me!"

"But... I can't just fight from the ground like this..." She looked across and spotted Makechau's mega poro. Her lips formed a smirk. "You useless fluff ball..." She buried her face in Bristle's fur and muttered something softly to him before mounting the poro. "Thank you, Quinn! I'll never forget this!" She smiled before heading off, riding the mega poro.

As she joined the others, she led them forward like no other leader could ever manage. I kneeled down next to Bristle and Valor, admiring the strength of the Winter's Wrath.

"Too bad Demacia's leader isn't as great, eh, Valor?" I asked him jokingly.

"Don't talk like that about your crush!" He shrieked, but somehow he didn't seem to mean what he said.

I paused. "You're right." I chuckled.

He let out a sigh.

"Charge!" I heard Sejuani yell, followed by a loud thud as the monster came crashing down onto the ground. They rushed onto it, but it was Sejuani that delivered the final a blow.

The creature screamed under the impact of the leader's weapon, but unlike the others before it, it spoke.

"Darkness does not fade... it merely relocates. Light does not reach all corners..." It let out another shrieked and turned towards Sejuani. "I have encountered you before. I do not forget. You're all scarred with my deeds. I took your family, the same way I took Caleb." And with that, it seemed to chuckle before fading away, taking all other remaining creatures with it.

My heart shattered at the sound of his name.

* * *

><p>"You never told me he was killed by them." Said Fiora as I was patching up Bristle's leg.<p>

I was on the verge of tears, but held onto them. "I never knew. I don't remember what happened..."

"Right... Where's Shyv?"

I sighed. "She's..." I stopped when Sejuani knelt down besides me and handed me the herbs I asked for her to bring. I smelled them. "These aren't the right ones."

"Why not? You told me they smell sweet."

"I said sweet _and _spicy. These are just sweet."

"Oh." She said.

"It doesn't matter, I'll go fetch them." Fiora and Sejuani both stood up to follow me to the healer's hut.

"So how is she?" Asked Fiora again.

"She's in here actually." I replied.

We entered quietly, but Fiora's loud gasp broke the silence. She walked over to Shyvana and knelt down beside her bed, as her knees trembled violently and she feared she might fall.

"Has she... woken ever since...?" She whispered.

"No... But she will. We're trying to find a way... She'll get better. Right, Sejuani?" I turned towards the tribe leader.

Sej picked up a handful of herbs and handed them to me. "Are these the ones?"

I sighed. Fiora had burrowed her face in her arms as she leant onto the bed and shook her head when I approached her.

"We'll meet you outside when you're ready." I said warmly and gave her a pat on her shaking shoulder.

Once outside, we got back to Bristle and I finished bandaging his leg, adding bits of the herbs to help heal the wound as I had read in one of the books in the library. He couldn't walk properly, but at least he managed to limp short distances.

"Leader of the Winter's Claw," Ashe's voice was suddenly heard, "please hear my request."

We turned to see Ashe and Jarvan.

"Our people are tired and cannot endure the journey back. All we ask for is shelter for the night and very little supplies just to keep us going a while longer." Her voice was different, as if she was intimidated by Sejuani.

"We would be willing to make it up to you, of course, once everyone is back on their feet." Jarvan added.

"You're asking for my help?" Sejuani chuckled coldly. "Hell, even if I wished to help you I wouldn't. There's nowhere for your men to sleep, and the little food we have would rather go to _my _people. Plus, you're the Avarossan. You already have everything."

"You don't understand. We were attacked, we fled. We're miles away from our tribe and we'd surely starve or freeze if we tried to make it back in our current state. Not to mention how far the Demacian army is from home." Ashe replied, her voice calm, but shaky.

"See? You don't know what it means to have nothing. You don't know how it feels like to stand at death's door. Maybe it's time for you to learn."

"Stand at death's door? If you haven't noticed death has already invited us inside and had tea with us!" Ashe's outburst took us all by surprise. She cleared her throat. "I don't understand why we're rivals, Sejuani. All I want is a Freljord that is united, not one that's riven and torn." She added apologetically.

Sejuani sighed. "As I said, you have nowhere to sleep and we have little food. I suspect it was those creatures' fault that animals were wiped out in such a way and hunting won't return to normal for a while now." She paused. "We have plenty of furs though, they make nice sleeping bags. My people will be cynical and hesitate in accommodating you, but I will instruct them to. We'll have as many soldiers as the floor can bear inside. The rest sleep outside. But food... They'll go to sleep with an empty stomach, I'm sure."

Ashe smiled. "Thank you, Sejuani. I am forever in your debt."

Jarvan nodded. "Thanks."

As they walked away, we focused back on Bristle and led him to Sejuani's hut. He leant on the both of us as he limped, and all I can say is that he was the heaviest thing I had ever seen. We let him rest and headed back to the healer's hut, where we saw Fiora waiting outside, trying to wipe her tears faster than they came.

"Go back inside." Said Sejuani. "Trust me, you don't want your eyelids to freeze together."

Fiora chuckled and headed back in, but something told me that the leader didn't mean it as a joke.

We sat around Shyvana and talked idly. For some reason, I didn't expect Fiora to be so hurt at the sight of the poor dragon, which made me question whether there was something I didn't know.

"So you were here all this time, safe and everything, while I was worried sick?" She asked.

"You know I couldn't have come back and leave Shyv behind. And Sejuani was very kind to offer us her help." I replied.

"Of course, of course. I didn't mean it like that..." She paused. "Which reminds me, would there be any spare place for me to sleep for the night?"

"We've already made arrangements with Ashe and Jarvan. Your people are welcome to stay for the night wherever we manage to fit them. If you want, you can sleep in here. The healer would be happy to have you." Said Sejuani, suddenly much happier with the deal.

Fiora nodded. "Alright, thanks."

The healer came in some time later, holding a bunch of herbs which I suspected she had just finished picking. She gave us a wonky smile and handed Fiora a couple of fur blankets for her to sleep on, as if she knew her place of rest without even being told.

We wished the two of them goodnight and headed over to Sejuani's home. There were no soldiers accommodated in her hut, maybe because they were either too scared of her, or simply because she wouldn't have any more strangers.

The tribe leader opened the door and stood by it. After a brief second, I realized that she was holding it open for me to go in first, so I rushed inside and muttered an awkward thanks. Valor had made himself comfortable in the furs on the floor as soon as we had entered, but Sejuani shook her head.

"I've... had a thought." She said slowly, as if choosing her words carefully. "Both of you are freezing. I wouldn't mind giving up the bed for the two of you."

"Oh no, don't worry, honestly." I replied, somewhat flattered by her offer. "We'll do ok, no problem."

"No, no." She nodded towards my purple fingers. "You know it only gets worse if you're not careful, right? Today your fingers, tomorrow your whole arms." She smiled. "I'm alright on the floor, I'm used to the cold."

I sighed. One look at the bed told me that there was a chance for all of us to fit in... "There's no need. We can all fit in and none of us would be cold."

She nodded, seemingly happy with the idea, but Valor shrieked in disapproval. "Actually, I'm gonna sleep in those furs."

I looked at him, surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He said with a grin on his beak.

As he crept under the furs, Sejuani and I made ourselves comfortable in the bed. I made sure to stay as close to the edge as I could, as I didn't want to disturb her, but as some time passed, none of us were asleep.

"Umm..." said Sejuani, "do you mind if we carry on with the reading lesson? You know, as neither of us can sleep yet..."

"That'd be great. But we don't have a book."

She stood up. The bed turned cold without her heat within a few seconds, as she headed towards the table and picked up a book which I never noticed before. She returned, and handed it to me as she sat back down. _Legends of Freljord. _

"Is this the same book from the library?" I asked her.

"Yes, I... borrowed it."

I stared at her for a few moments.

"What?" She said. "I'll put it back when we're done. Isn't that what you're supposed to do with library books anyway?"

I chuckled and opened it to the first page. "Who's reading?"

"You." She smiled.

"Alright."

The book was filled with various legends revolving around Freljord, each one set in a different time period. As I read them aloud, Sejuani would sometimes shake her head and correct the minor mistakes that the author had made in the descriptions, or in the order things happened. I was astonished by her vast knowledge of these isolated and bitter lands as her explanations were incredibly detailed.

As we made our way through the pages, she leaned against me, and eventually rested her head onto my shoulder. I could feel her hot breath on my neck, and tried hard to hold back the shiver that crawled its way up my spine. The new warmth that enveloped me wasn't necessarily from her body, but from another source which only seemed to grow as we inched closer.

I noticed that she had stopped correcting the text for quite some time, so I turned my head slightly to look at her, making sure she wasn't asleep. However, instead of looking down at the page, she was staring back at me, her icy blue eyes penetrating my thoughts as they always did.

I could have stood there like that forever, but our eyes parted when she leaned forward just a few more inches, pressing her lips onto mine.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter XI

* * *

><p>I wrapped my arms gently around her neck, dropping the book onto the bed as I kissed her back, feeling her strong arms pulling me closer by my waist. The world around us vanished and all I could focus on was the soft touch of her lips against mine. My heart raced wildly and showed no signs of slowing down, even when she pulled away.<p>

For a few moments we just stood there and stared into each other's eyes until she finally spoke.

"I..." her voice came out higher in pitch that she had expected so she paused and cleared her throat quickly, "I... err... I mean..." She sighed as if she gave up on her own words. "I'm sorry." She said as she pulled her arms away.

"Don't be." I said with a smile, causing her to embrace me once more. "There's going to a long day tomorrow. Sleep well."

"You too."

I had fallen asleep in Sejuani's arms, enveloped in her comforting warmth, feeling her every breath as my head rested on her chest. I had found safety in the soft touch of her hands against my back, as if I was as vulnerable as a rabbit. The night seemed to fly past as I was drawn deeper into a world of dreams...

* * *

><p><em>I looked all around me, but saw nothing other than darkness. I walked forward into a never-ending world of nothingness, when a bright light caught my eye. I ran towards it, as if my life depended on it, before being blinded by its brightness... <em>

_There was laughter. The laugh of a person I remembered only too well. I tried to focus on his figure on top of the blinding light but failed. His laughter continued, until it started to fade. The happy sound turned into a groan which soon turned into an agonising scream. I waved my arms frantically, I yelled his name, I tried to focus on what was going on, but I couldn't. Then, silence. _

_The light faded, and contrasting onto the darkness I finally saw him. It was really him. It was Caleb, my brother. He smiled, and turned his head to the right. I followed his gaze and spotted Shyvana walking towards him. Her confident stride was normal, but as she neared us, she seemed to get weaker and weaker, until she resorted to limping to Caleb's side. They stared at me, their far too familiar eyes punctured my soul. I tried to speak to them but a feeble whimper was the most that I could muster._

_Slowly, the two of them seemed to be getting further into the darkness. I tried to follow, to run after them, but my legs were stiff and wouldn't move. I yelled after them, I told them not to leave me, but they didn't listen. They faded away and all of my attempts to stop them were in vain. They were gone, and I was left alone in the everlasting darkness with nothing but my own screams to keep me company..._

* * *

><p>I awoke with a gasp. My eyes scanned my surroundings, but it was Sejuani's soothing scent that brought me back to reality. My breathing was still heavy as she, too, awoke and ran a hand through my hair, brushing aside a few flocks from my face.<p>

"Are you alright?" She asked sleepily.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for waking you up." I replied apologetically.

She smiled. "That's ok. It's nearly time to get up anyway." She looked through the window as the warm colours of dawn fought their way through a layer of thick clouds. "Are you sure you're ok?" She added.

"Yeah, honestly. It was just a bad dream."

"They're a real pain, these dreams. I never listen to any of them. They'd drive me mad otherwise." She sighed. "The amount of times they remind you of something you try so hard to forget is unbearable."

I nodded.

"Well, no point in sitting and doing nothing." She said. "Come on, you can kick the Avarossan out with me."

I chuckled and followed her outside. Valor was still asleep and I decided not to wake him up just yet. I had only just realized how kind he had been to sleep on the floor while leaving me and Sejuani alone... That bird is a kind genius. Sometimes. But how did he anticipate what would happen? Maybe he didn't even do it on purpose.

I seemed to have gotten used to the bitter morning wind of Freljord, but the constant layer of snow that engulfed my boots was driving me crazy. I walked like a newborn duck as we made our way to the healer's hut, to say good morning to Fiora and the healer, while checking on Shyv. When we entered, the sight of the dragon immediately reminded me of my dream. I was suddenly even more afraid of losing her.

"Good morning!" Said the healer in a husky voice.

We returned her greeting, while Fiora simply moaned a reply. She was still wrapped up in the furs and didn't show any other sign of life.

"What's up, Fiora? Have you been drinking too much vodka again?" I asked her.

_"Foutu pute, je vais te tuer..." _she replied under her breath, making me chuckle.

"Wash your mouth out. And this time, don't use vodka."

Fiora growled as she sat up, but she beared a smile as she did so.

"How's the dragon?" asked Sejuani.

"I think she may be getting worse. My remedy is not working, as I had predicted. I have reached the boundaries of my powers, and I fear that I managed to change little about her faith." replied the healer. "As scary as this may sound, I'm afraid that she is in your hands. It's up to you three to come up with something now, for I have proven quite... useless."

"No, you haven't. Thank you for all your help." I said to her and received a heartening smile in return.

"Well I am not thanking anyone until I see Shyv on her feet again." Said Fiora.

"There's the necklace that we found..." Sejuani's voice was hesitant, "If we're willing to figure it out, of course."

"Should I be made aware of this?" The duelist asked.

I sighed. "I'm not sure if it's of any help though. Sure, it glows, but what does that have to do with anything?" I said, but Fiora's expression just grew more puzzled. "We found it at the back of two books which were labelled 2 and 3 and didn't include a first in their series. They spoke all about diseases but mentioned no such thing as a glowing necklace, so we think it's useless."

"_You _think it's useless," added Sejuani.

Fiora didn't seem very enlightened at our explanation so I headed over to the table that I left the necklace on and showed it to her. As I grasped it, it seemed to emit a familiar faint glow.

"And when you put it on..."

I slid the necklace over my head, squinting as the glow turned into a blinding light.

"Wow," exclaimed Fiora as I took it off.

"Yeah, yeah, but it's not useful." I said.

"You can't be sure of that. We just don't know what it does and how it does it yet." Sejuani added once more.

I was going to argue again, but suddenly felt as if she was right. I knew Sejuani wasn't stupid, and yet here I was making it seem as if she was. I bit my tongue before I could object, and decided to believe her.

"You're right." I said. "Sorry. We should try to find out what it does."

Sejuani smiled at my response.

I handed the necklace to Fiora so that she could examine it. As she held it, it emitted the same faint light as it had when I had it, and shone brightly when she put it on too.

"So we know it glows on me, you and Sejuani, but not on Shyv." I looked over at the healer. "Would you mind trying it on?"

She took the necklace with shaky hands and slid it over her head. Nothing. The bones around her collarbone rattled as she took it off again and handed it back to us.

"There must be some connection. What do we three have that they don't or vice versa?" Said Sejuani.

We thought for a moment but came up with nothing. Our silence was interrupted by the sudden change in Shyvana's breathing, as if she needed to gasp with every breath. The healer rushed over to her and lifted her by the shoulders so she was sitting up. Shortly, after she returned to normal, she laid her down again.

"This is what I mean when I say she's getting worse." She said. "If there isn't someone here to help her, she would suffocate. Her muscles are getting weaker by the minute. If there is truly any cure to this disease, we need it soon."

Fiora's shoulders had dropped and she bowed her head. I knew her well enough to realize that she was just trying to hide her tears, and made no comment about it.

"Where will we find more information on this necklace? We've already turned the library inside out." I said.

"We'll ask," replied Sejuani. "My people have a taste for legends as well as combat."

I didn't doubt that statement, remembering her vast knowledge of Freljord. We asked Fiora if she wanted to come with us, but she said she'd rather stay with Shyv and we didn't push her. There really was something that I didn't know about, but this wasn't the time to ask.

Outside, we spotted Makechau again. He was brushing the fur of his poro with a twig and moaned something with a smile when he saw us. Then he kissed his poro on the nose.

"That man is really creepy." I said.

"Oh, don't mind him. He's just sober from his lemon beer."

"I still don't understand how he's alive."

Sejuani smiled. "Neither do I. I threw him off a cliff once. Damned man showed up at my doorstep the next day."

I chuckled. "How come he hangs around here?"

"Didn't I tell you? This is where he's supposed to be living, with his sister, but he doesn't want to. Maybe he realizes just how much of a bother he can be and leaves her alone."

"So the healer is his sister? Really?" I sounded more surprised than I actually was.

"Yeah, Olava the healer and her crazy brother Makechau. Sounds legit."

I nodded and we carried on walking. As we made our way through the snow, we spotted Jarvan knocking on Sejuani's door.

"He better be here to tell me they're leaving," muttered Sejuani as we headed over to him.

"Oh, good morning! I was just coming to find you," said Jarvan. "You see... we can't exactly leave yet..."_  
><em>

"You can't? Oh, I'll show you _`can't`_!" She lifted her fist in the air and thrust it towards him, but missed as I grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back. I put my arm around her shoulders until she calmed down. "Fine. Only because we have bigger problems at the moment." Sejuani added, her tone still irritated.

"Thank you! And if there's anything I can do to help then feel free to ask," he said

"No, you can't..."

"Actually," I interrupted Sej, "you might be able to. We need as much help as we can get. If you've ever heard of anything that might cure a rare half-dragon specific disease then please let us know. Also, we'd also appreciate any information on necklaces that glow when worn by particular people."

His shocked frown told me everything. He didn't know anything. "Why would you need any of this?" He asked.

"It's Shyvana, sir. She's sick." I answered.

He sighed and nodded. "It's always sad when we lose a good Demacian soldier."

"Are you stupid or something? We haven't lost her _yet, _you useless block head." Sejuani's voice rang and a pile of snow landed on Jarvan from the roof of the hut. I looked up to find Valor perched up there, scraping away at the snow.

"Valor!" I said chuckling, and to my surprise, Sejuani was laughing as well. She surely did have a wonderful laugh.

Jarvan cleared his throat as he brushed away the snow from his head and shoulders.

"You might find it useful to ask Ashe about your troubles. Excuse me." He said as he walked away, clearly offended.

"I hate that man maybe more than I hate Ashe. Good thing not all Demacians are like him."

I nodded, unaware that I was doing so.

"But Quinn I thought you liked him." Said Valor, but I unintentionally ignored him as I turned my attention to Sejuani.

"Come on. We can head down to Alvor's and see if people know anything. Everyone would be gathered there, no doubt." She was saying.

"Alvor's?"

"Yeah, it's a sort of inn. The Winter's Claw version of an inn of course. It doesn't provide any service other than drinks. That's it, no food, no place to sleep. Just a good drink and occasionally some music, if people are up for it." She explained.

Sejuani was right. It really did seem as if everyone living in the tribe was gathered at this inn. Although its walls were cracked and its doors squeaked horribly, it seemed like a lively place, with the strong smell of alcohol filling it. We walked over to the bar and peaked over it to see a short man with a long beard peering from behind the counter.

"Hello, Sejuani. The usual, is it?" he asked as soon as he saw her, an grabbed a bottle of whisky and a tankard, ready to pour some in.

"Not this time, Alvor. We're here to talk to you actually. Have you heard anyone talk about, now this will sound weird, a necklace that... glows?" She replied.

Alvor chuckled and put the bottle down. "Why, that's odd. And you know why that's so odd? Because normally I would call you a complete nutter, but here I am thinking about it because I actually seem to recall something like that being mentioned." He stroked his beard slowly. "While I remember, do tell me why you would need to know?"

"A friend needs our help. We think that this necklace might help her." She replied.

He nodded thoughtfully. "That's right!" He suddenly exclaimed. "It was an Avarossan that said it! Yes, I do remember now, it was earlier today. I had never seen her before which is why I presumed she's Avarossan. She looked like it too, unlike the Demacians, she had blonde hair and blue eyes. Quite a pretty sight actually, or it may have only been the ale working my brain." He said.

Sejuani nodded. "Is she still here?"

Alvor stood on his tiptoes to look around. "D'you know I never saw her leave. And I think I'd notice cuz I quite liked the sight of her so... There! Sitting down yonder." He pointed at a table.

Sitting down on her own was none other than Ashe.

"Oh, no." Sejuani sighed. "We're going to have to ask for _her_ help now. Haven't the tables turned, eh?"

As we approached her, Ashe seemed to stiffen in her chair as soon as she spotted us, as if she was ready to run if need be. She was quite surprised when we sat down opposite her.

Sejuani didn't say anything, so I was the one to speak first. "Ashe, we need to ask you something."

"Go ahead. I trust that Jarvan had already told Sejuani that we can't yet leave."

"Yes, he has, and don't worry, it's not about that. We were wondering if you happen to know anything about a necklace that shines whenever it is put on."

Ashe chuckled and relaxed a little bit. "I know about something along those lines, yes. It only glows when put on by people in certain conditions and would remain normal if those conditions are not met. What do you need to know about it?"

"Holy shit, she does know." I heard Sejuani mutter.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter XII

* * *

><p>"Tell us about what it does," I said to Ashe, hopeful that her information will be useful, and of course, true.<p>

"Wait, why would you need to know?" she asked.

"Just tell us what you know, archer, and we'll ask the questions!" snapped Sejuani, her loud and powerful voice bringing the whole inn to a dead stop. The chattering shortly resumed when everyone was assured that they weren't the cause of the leader's anger.

"Aright, alright... I'm sorry. The only thing is... I never thought this sort of necklace even existed." Ashe replied hastily.

"What? Then how do you know about it?" I asked.

"The truthful question is, how do we know we can trust the information you give us?" Sejuani added cynically.

Ashe sighed. "I don't know myself if what I'm about to tell you is true. As I said, I never knew these existed. However, I recall being told a story about these sort of necklaces when I was young and... I guess I still remember because it was my favourite legend out of them all." She paused as she gathered her thoughts.

_A legend. _I thought. _That's why I found out nothing about the necklace in the library. I didn't check the story books. _

"The necklace, theoretically," Ashe continued, "glows with a blinding light when the lover of the person wearing it is nearby. Besides that, this glow is said to have numerous powers, which I don't remember. All I can tell you is that people tried to hide such necklaces. They tried to make everyone forget about them because they believed they were 'dangerous'. The powers that they harnessed weren't dangerous themselves, but the fact that the ruby only glowed when your lover was near broke people apart. Husband and wife were driven to divorce when the ruby refused to glow. Brutal rivals killed each other when the ruby _did _glow. I never understood why people would make such a big deal out of a little stone that lights up, but then again, that is no place for me to comment in."

We didn't say anything for a few seconds. The information took its time to sink in. To me, it seemed as if the necklace was as useless as ever, but Sejuani had other thoughts.

"Alright," she said, "time to try it out on Shyvana one last time. We were joined by the Demacian army, there's bound to be someone that loves that poor dragon. Quinn? Got any ideas?"

I thought for a moment, not seeing any sense in any of this. I sighed. "She is my best friend, but there's a lot of things I don't know. Like why Fi..." I stopped suddenly. A crazy inkling lit up my thoughts. "Maybe. That's why..."

"What?" asked the leader.

"Fiora." I said, more confident than I really was.

"The duelist?" Sejuani smiled. "Don't tell her I said this but she seemed to stuck up to actually..." she stopped when she realized her words weren't appropriate, "Nevermind. Let's go back to them then."

"Thank you for everything, Ashe." I said to her before leaving. She simply nodded, her expression as confused as ever.

As we exited the inn Sejuani seemed to be bursting with energy.

"So if the necklace has healing powers, then Shyvana may be cured!" She said enthusiastically. "It was really under our nose all this time. It makes so much sense now. I knew there was more to it than that, I really did."

I chuckled at her child-like outburst. "We still don't know what kind of powers the glow has, but I love your enthusiasm."

"Yeah, love..." she whispered almost inaudibly, as if I wouldn't hear it.

I looked at her, but her gaze was suddenly fixed onto the ground. I clearly recalled that the necklace had glowed when the two of us tried it on... so that must mean... and the kiss... it all makes sense but...

We reached the healer's hut. Like she had done previously, Sejuani held the door open for me and I muttered a short thank you as we entered. Fiora was sat down by Shyv's side while Olava prepared some herbs with a foul odour. I recognised them at once, and realized she was trying to soothe the swelling in Shyvana's throat. The dragon's neck had already been coated with the green paste earlier, which seemed to have no effect on her.

"Found anything?" asked Fiora, trying hard to fight back tears.

I didn't want to give her false hope. "Kind of. We don't know if it will work."

I picked up the necklace from the table and approached Shyv.

"Theoretically," I said, "the ruby is supposed to glow when her lover is nearby. We don't know this for sure, of course, and I'm sorry for the personal question, but... Fiora, do you love Shyvana?"

Fiora didn't hesitate at all. "Yes, I love her."

Although I had anticipated the answer, it still took me by surprise. I smiled and slid the necklace over the dragon's head. The ruby glowed with the familiar blinding light.

We waited. I don't know what we were even expecting.

Shyvana seemed unchanged.

Olava stood up and walked over to her. She checked for her pulse and checked her breathing. She said they were in the same horrible state as they'd always been. Shyvana showed no signs of waking up. Our hearts sank.

Everything suddenly became like my dream. There was Shyvana, right before me, but I couldn't reach her. She was gone, and yet she was right in front of me. My thoughts swam in a sea of panic and helplessness. The thought that I couldn't save my best friend hit me hard... I couldn't save Caleb, and now I've failed Shyv as well...

"That's not possible," said Sejuani, "we must have missed something. We must have..."

That was it. I had lost my temper. "For Hell's sake can't you see?!" I snapped at her, my voice so loud that it hurt my throat, "We've done everything we could, Sejuani, and we can't save her! We just _can't! _I know it's hard for you to understand that term!"

Her expression suddenly darkened. She lunged towards me and grabbed my collar violently, holding my face a mere inch from hers so I could feel her icy breath upon my lips. Her cold eyes froze me as I felt I could no longer move, I couldn't even shudder or shake. "Don't you ever, ever, _ever_ yell at me." She spat, her voice low and quiet, but strong enough to break me. "I tried to save your friend, and I still am. You think I did this for me? Do you really think that I would do this, for _me?" _Her grip tightened so I had to fight for every breath. "I did all this for _you, _and this is how you show your gratitude. And don't say, not even for a moment, that I don't know what _can't _means." She let go of my collar, but I was still unable to move, as if she locked me in place with fear. "And to think..." she whispered even quieter, "to think that I was actually... that I was actually falling in love... I couldn't have been more stupid."

My knees started shaking and the only reason why I forced myself to remain upright was because I knew Sejuani would no longer catch me if I fall. She stepped away from me and walked out, not even slamming the door as she did so. I wanted to apologise right there and then, but maybe she really did freeze me, as I found myself staring at the door for a while, until Fiora's voice woke me up.

"Quinn?" she said, almost worried. "Are you ok?"

I had no words. It's funny how certain feelings can eat up all your words and squeeze your neck so that you can't make new ones. Guilt is one of those feelings. And not only did it choke me, but I could feel it destroy me.

I was torn in between staying with Shyvana and Fiora or running after Sejuani. I looked in both directions but didn't make a move.

"Go." Fiora said, nodding towards the door.

I gave her an apologetic look before dashing outside into the snow. I couldn't see Sejuani, and I knew of two places where I could look: her house, or the inn. Firstly, I knocked on her door, but there was no reply. Then I went and checked the inn. I asked Alvor if she came by but he said no.

"Is everything ok?" Ashe asked me as I was just about to leave.

"The necklace didn't work. It didn't cure her. I put it on, it glowed but... nothing." I said to her, not mentioning anything about Sejuani (it wasn't really for her to know).

She nodded. "Well, the necklace has to be put on by the _lover_. Unless you're..." she trailed off.

I quite literally slapped myself. "Oh, God, Sejuani you were right..." I muttered. I looked back up at Ashe. "Ashe, sorry, I have to go, this is urgent!"

And with that I bolted out of the inn and faced the cold once more. I couldn't think of any other place where Sejuani might have gone, so I could say that I was running to a specific location but that would be a lie. It was by mere coincidence that I happened to find myself outside the library. Peeking through the window, I spotted a lit torch, which kindled the remaining bundle of hope in my chest.

I entered, fighting to close the door against the wind. In the corner of the library, I could see a pair of blue eyes looking up at me, as well as a newly formed hostility.

"Sejuani, listen to me..." I approached her slowly, as if she would pounce on me like a wild animal at any time.

"Why are you here?" she asked coldly, her question taking me by surprise. Anyway, she gave no time for an answer. "This is my tribe, I can forbid whoever I feel necessarily from treading within these grounds. You are on thin ice, Quinn. Please leave."

"Sejuani, please... Just listen to me! You were ri..."

"Just leave!" As she yelled that, she stood up, her tall and robust posture becoming too intimidating to ignore. Fear overcame me for a brief moment as I backed away one small step. Almost immediately, I noticed that she held a piece of paper in one hand and a pencil in the other.

I opened my mouth to try to say something, but the look in her eyes told me that I better not. I felt horrible. I had turned the person that saved my life against me. I walked out of the room quietly and obediently. There really was nothing else to say to Sejuani anyway. She had made up her mind about me.

For the first time, as I stepped out into the cold, I truly felt the bitter remorse that the winds of Freljord carried.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter XIII

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><p>The snow seemed even heavier than usual as it clung to my boots while I made my way to the healer's hut. I knew that I should hurry and inform them on how Shyv must be cured, but it seemed like I physically couldn't. Valor shrieked at me all the way there, but no matter what he said, my spirits refused to go up.<p>

I reached the healer's eventually and pressed my hand against the door, ready to open it, but didn't. There was a noise. A noise so sudden and so loud that I span round at once, my eyes widening at a sight that I hoped to never see jaw dropped helplessly and I called at once for Valor to prepare. The noise, combined with my yell, had caught the immediate attention of others within the tribe too, as warrior after warrior stepped outside to face them once more.

Amongst the sudden and newly formed chaos, I could hear Sejuani's bellowing voice bring everyone to a halt. As she mounted the now healthy Bristle, she prepared Avarossan, Demacian and Winter Claw's troops alike within seconds by using simple orders that were yelled out in a way that no man could object. They gathered armour and weapons within moments, and not a minute later were they led forward by the Winter's Wrath.

I followed the crowd and was shortly joined by a tearful Fiora. It seemed that even when in deep grief, the duelist has a particular taste for bloodshed. I tried to find a way to tell her there and then that everything would be alright with Shyvana, but never got the chance.

I pierced the none-existent skin of the monsters again and again with arrows fired in the most precise way possible and Valor gouged them as best he could, until finally we brought down at least three of the pests. There was never any triumph though, because they kept coming from goodness knows where, fighting harder and harder. We helped wounded soldiers back to safety once or twice, before returning to the satisfying heat of the battle. Although it was tiring, it seemed as though we would win...

Fiora and I stuck by each other's side for quite some time, but at some point, the overflow of beasts forced us apart. I found myself side by side with Jarvan, now holding back an even greater wave. I noticed he was shaking as he fought, driving his spear into the creatures with hesitation. I didn't want to take much notice of it, but it had become obvious when I was knocked over by one of them.

I lay flat on the ground, my back aching from the impact with the cold and icy ground. The beast that hit me stood before me and approached even further. I backed away using my heels and my elbows, but to no avail. Jarvan stood still and simply watched, before spinning round and fleeing. I mentally cursed him at that moment, and watched helplessly as I met what I thought would be my end. Valor tried to hold them off, but he couldn't, not on his own...

I never got to see any victory. I was grabbed violently by the monster and all I remember after that point is agonising pain followed by darkness...

* * *

><p><em>"I want you out. I want you gone. So leave. Go. Never come back." Sejuani's grip around my jawline tightened, squeezing my teeth together. Her once welcoming and beautiful blue eyes now shone with hostility and insatiable anger. "I wish that I had never saved your life. It's not worth anything anyway." She spat. <em>

_As I stared back at her, I felt the sudden need to simply embrace her and hold her tight, but knew that such a thing was now out of question. I tried to at least mutter an apology, but no words came out. She seemed like a complete stranger now, ready to skin me. I felt tears run down my cheeks as a quiet sob jerked in my throat. The tribe leader smiled at my suffering. _

_"Your brother. Dead. Your best friend. Dead." She said._

_She's not dead. I thought. _

_She chuckled harshly."That's not what you chose to believe when I was there. Now, how about you? Are YOU dead yet?" _

_She laughed wickedly, her image now becoming more and more distorted. Shortly, I was no longer staring at Sejuani, but at a being resembling a woman, with pale bluish skin and what seemed to be a sort of helmet, pointed on either side of her head... _

* * *

><p>My eyes widened at the sight of her before me. She towered above me like a monster, and I was amazed at her incredible height... no. It wasn't her that was tall. It was me that was kneeled down on the floor. I tried to move, but my wrists were locked in place, holding my arms up. I looked up to discover two chains each holding one of my hands. They froze my skin.<p>

I had no idea how time had passed when I was unconscious but one look around me told me that I was doomed. There was nothing in the dark room other than upward icicles and the cold ice floor, and obviously, the stranger before me. She had obviously waited for me to wake up.

She chuckled once more, her voice intimidating and inhumane.

"I see that my minions brought me quite a fascinating one this time." She said, looking at me as if she was examining a wild animal. "Not too bad, I must say. This isn't the purpose I created them for, of course, but in order to bring down a tribe one must... improvise. So," she grinned, "what is your name, little bird?"

"Who are you?" my voice was weak and raspy, "And what do you want?"

My questions simply amused her. "I am Lissandra. The ice witch. Now, why don't we become properly acquainted? Who are _you? _And how come you are so close to the leader of that God-forsaken tribe?"

My heart sank. "I...I..."

"Oh?" She smiled once more. "What's wrong, little bird? Did I get something wrong?"

She pressed her hands against my bare arms (as I then realized that a lot of my armour was gone) and I shivered at the sudden cold. One upwards look told me that there was ice setting around her grip, cracking my skin and penetrating my bones. I winced in pain, but pressed my lips together in order to remain quiet. I lowered my head in an attempt to ignore the agony, but no avail.

She smirked down at me and reached a hand towards my face. If my jaws wouldn't have been frozen in fear, and if I were more bold, I would have bitten her. She roughly grabbed my face and pulled me towards her, as much as the chains would allow.

"My,my..." Her cold fingers traced my jaw and her thumb slipped past my lips. With a tight grip on my lower jaw, she wretched it apart. The pain was incredibly intense - I feared that she had broken it. I let out a tormented groan, which only invoked more pain. If anything, it made her chuckle.

"Such a beautiful creature. Open your eyes." She whispered in a coarse voice. My eyes were tightly shut from the pain, but I opened them nonetheless. Who knows what she would have done if I didn't?

"Sing for me, little bird." She said.

A raucous scream left my throat moments later. I felt blood flowing down my cheek and onto the ice floor. Lissandra's sharp fingers sank deep into the sockets of my eyes. More blood flowed down my face, and I found myself choking on it shortly... My vision was gone, but Lissandra's laugh rang loudly within my ears.

I coughed violently in order to rid myself of my own scarlet liquid. I winced as doing so disturbed my jaw. Lissandra's hands now withdrew from my eyes before applying the same freezing sensation that she always seemed to harness. Strangely, she had stopped them from bleeding, although the was pain never ameliorated.

I shut my eyes tightly, feeling the sudden need to cry, although no tears were formed.

"You poor soul..." She said. "I almost feel sorry for you..." She paused, and if I could still see, I would have been faced with the same malevolent grin. "Are you thirsty, little bird?"

At the sound of those words I was suddenly made aware of my dry throat, but I said nothing and instead hung my head even lower.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said, and I mentally kicked myself.

The witch yanked my head back by my hair and forced a liquid down my mouth. I didn't realize at first, but it was water. Water so cold that it made my throat feel like it was burning. I tried to jerk my head away from her, but I couldn't. She simply forced my mouth to open even wider, which sent my jaw into a frenzy of pain. When she was done, she simply chuckled once more.

"I should let you rest now... yes... I really should." She said, her tone suddenly far too gentle. Anyway, it gave me a spark of hope. "Or, I could see just how long you'd last... You were unconscious for a couple of days after all. You must be dying for entertainment. Just like me." The spark had died.

She placed an icy hand on my ribs, making my shiver. Her fingers dug into my bones and I could feel her cruel magic seeping though my chest.

I was pleasantly surprised when she suddenly turned around, moving away from me. I couldn't see anything, of course, but I sensed that someone else had entered the room.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter XIV

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><p>Chaos surrounded me. I found myself squinting, then widening my eyes, but every time I did so it was useless. I always found myself succumbing to the dark abyss which was all that my eyes could muster. However, my ears stayed alert. I attempted to keep track of what was going on but I was failing terribly.<p>

I didn't know who had walked in. I had an idea, but it seemed egregious and I refused to get my hopes up. Whoever it was, they weren't Lissandra's friend, as they seemed to be trying to kill her. There were thuds as one of them was thrust against the ice walls, again and again, one painful hit after another. Then, the sounds of icicles crashing, or being smashed by a weapon that I knew only too well, but refused to recognise.

My head jerked from one side to another, trying to follow the sounds as if it could see them, but it was useless. There was a scream from Lissandra, but the noise didn't fade, it only intensified. I struggled against the chains, but to no avail. Even if I did break them, what then?

Amongst the battle, I could make out the heavy gait and uneven breathing of an animal that seemed familiar, and I begged to whatever God listened that I was not wrong. Said animal crashed through the ice that Lissandra created so effortlessly, hurting my ears with each persistent crash. There were more thuds, followed by another scream. It was not Lissandra.

I almost instinctively tried to break free again, startled by the voice that cried at that moment, but again my efforts were nothing. If my eyes were not scarred then I am sure that tears would have made their way to them.

Shortly after, there was another, more powerful thud as I felt the wall to my left shake slightly. Lissandra's breathing was cut short as a strained grunt escaped her throat. Silence followed, and somehow, I could picture the ice witch backed up against the wall, begging for her life...

* * *

><p>I panted heavily as I gathered my strength to finally kill her. I had her. I really did. The damned so-called ice witch had her back to her own cursed ice wall, her neck clenched in my grip. I smiled. I was taken by surprise when she smiled back.<p>

"Go on," she said in her usual surreal voice. "Kill me. It would be too late anyway."

Anger rose within me as her grin only widened. This was one of her games. One of her games to make me let her go. No. She would die. Today. I tightened my grip and watched her squirm as her breathing was cut off more and more.

"It's... too... late..." she said with her dying breath.

I let go off her and she collapsed next to my feet, her body lifeless before me. I let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

I turned to face Quinn and quickly rushed to her. I broke away the chains and let her fall into my arms. She was weak and feeble, but clung to me for dear life. I allowed myself a couple of quiet sobs as I wrapped my arms around her.

"S...S...Sejuani..." she whispered in a scarce voice, as if it hurt her to talk.

"Yeah, I'm here. It's alright." I leaned back a bit in order to see her, but her gaze was fixed onto the ground. My hand attempted to lift her chin, but stopped abruptly as I noticed her wince, as if in pain. She lifted her head anyway, and I gasped as she looked up at me. "Q-Quinn... you're..."

She nodded slightly. "Blind. I know."

Her eyes were covered in scars that looked a lot like scratch marks, which would never have had time to form in the couple of days that she was gone for. I assumed it was all Lissandra's magic and immediately blamed myself.

"And... your jaw is... broken?" I asked noticing the her angled mouth and hesitant voice.

She nodded again. I had no idea what else to do so I stood there for a few moments, paralysed. Her hand reached up my arm, just below my shoulder. I flinched and jerked it away. She had most probably felt the blood which soaked my armour.

"You're hurt. Quick, get something to bandage it with..." she muttered almost inaudibly.

"It's just a cut." I didn't care at all. All that ran through my thoughts was the guilt that blocked my senses. "Quinn, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper... I'm sorry. I should have been there to help you..." I was surprised to discover tears running down my cheeks, but instead of wiping them, I simply pulled Quinn deeper into my embrace.

I knew that she found it difficult to talk, so I didn't expect a reply. However, the one that I did receive stopped my heart right in its tracks. Weakly and unevenly she whispered, "I love you."

Her words sent a ripple of a feeling that I didn't recognise through me. Suddenly, the world around us seemed to vanish as I instinctively uttered back a few words that warmed my throat. "I love you too." Gently, I partially broke away from the embrace and kissed her forehead. "Let's get you back home." I said.

As I helped her to stand up, I noticed that a lot of her clothing was gone and that she was shivering from the cold that she wasn't used to. I let her rest against one of the walls as I removed my own armour in order to let her wear my fur undergarments. The steel dug into my skin without a protective soft layer under it, but it was a very small price to pay. Quinn had stopped shivering.

I slowly and gently picked her up and led her away to Bristle who stood patiently and waited for us. I lifted her up onto his saddle before mounting him myself. Once up and ready to go, I took hold of her hands and placed them around my waist, smiling as she leant forward and rested her head on my shoulder, her warm breath against my neck sending shivers down my spine. If I didn't feel guilt and remorse, I would have enjoyed that moment more than anything.

"If you lose your balance, tell me. Or just hold on tightly." I told her, and she gave me a reassuring nod.

If the weather allowed it, we would be back in the Winter's Claw by dusk. Fortunately, there were no more dark beasts to worry about. They vanished along with the cursed ice witch, anything but forgotten.

* * *

><p>Obviously, I had no way of telling where we were, but I soon started feeling excited when I started making out the voices of people. A sigh of relief escaped my chest as I assumed that we had arrived back safely, although the flow of said air put more pressure on my aching jaw. Above everyone else, I could make out a French accent approaching us, and another voice accompanying her, along with the relieved shrieks of an eagle.<p>

Sejuani brought Bristle to a halt and dismounted, then helped me do the same. As soon as I felt my feet touch the soft snow, I felt two pairs of arms around me.

"Quinn... are you alright?" I heard Fiora ask.

I tried to mutter something but my jaw wouldn't allow it. I clenched my teeth in pain, which only made it worse.

"Her jaw is broken and Lissandra blinded her." Sejuani answered for me. "Come on, we'll get you to the healer."

We began walking, and in order for me to stay in the right direction Sejuani had put her arm around my waist, and I placed mine around her shoulders. Her warm touch made me forget all about the bitter wind.

As we walked, I found it strange that I heard four sets of foot steps and not three. I figured that someone else had joined us other than Fiora, but I hadn't heard them speak yet.

When we reached the healer's hut, one of the other two companions held the door open kindly as Sejuani led me in and sat me down on the solitary wonky chair in the healer's room. Olava greeted me, and I answered with a slight nod and a weak smile. The stinging smell of herbs suddenly made me remember.

"The necklace..." I muttered as loud and as clear as my jaw would allow. "The cure... for Shyv... I know it..."

"Don't worry, Quinn. She's not off your chest just yet." The familiar voice rang like music in my ears.

"Shyvana?"

"Standing on two legs and breathing all on her own." She replied.

"How?" I managed to ask.

"Ashe came by to see if everything was alright after your confusing behaviour at the inn." Fiora explained. "She told us what we did wrong."

"Thank you, Quinn." Shyvana added.

I shook my head. "Thank Sejuani."

"Thank you all." She said.

I chuckled as happiness overcame me, but winced at the pain that my jaw brought once more.

"So what can you do?" I heard the tribe leader ask the healer, who chuckled at the question.

"I don't need to do anything." I heard the sound of something being picked up off the table, and shortly, I presumed that it was Sej that slid something over my head.

I recognised the object to be the necklace, and immediately felt the warm feeling that the glow would emit. I closed my eyes as I felt the nasty scars recede and my jaw straighten. The frost marks that were left on my arms and ribs soon melted and vanished. Relieved, I opened my eyes.

I was never greeted by the sight of what I expected to see. I never saw the people standing before me - Fiora probably embracing the now healthy Shyvana and Sejuani staring back at me with her beautiful blue eyes. Instead, I saw an interminable and obscure void, acting like a barrier in between me and the others.

I blinked several times, but nothing changed.

"Are you alright?" Sejuani asked, her tone shaken by worry.

I shook my head, unable to believe it myself. "I still can't see."

I felt Olava's bony and wrinkly hands take hold of my face as she held my eyelids apart with the thumb and index finger. After a while, she let go and sighed.

"Though the scars have cleared and her eyes are back to normal, Lissandra's magic is still more powerful than any other mage's. It cannot be undone. I'm sorry, but things will stay that way." Her voice was shaking more than usual.

"Quinn, I'm so sorry..." Sejuani whispered, and I realized that she was closer to me than I thought. She put an arm around my shoulders and I stood up in order to fully embrace her.

"It wasn't your fault. It's me that should be apologising."

"Lissandra was _my_ enemy. I never thought that she would harm _you." _

The ice witch's last words were all too clear. It was indeed too late.

For a few moments we just stood there as I buried my face into her neck. I heard the door open and close and I assumed that everyone had left in order to leave us alone. The silence felt comforting.

I lifted my head away from Sejuani's shoulder and faced what I assumed would have been her face. I longed to look into her eyes once more, to feel their icy blue seep into my soul and steal it away... But there was nothing more than darkness staring back at me.

I felt her breathing draw closer as our lips were sealed. She held me closer by the back of my neck as my arms entangled around her waist. The pleasant feeling didn't take long to spread throughout my body and it was then that I realized that maybe I didn't need my sight for everything.

"I love you." Sejuani said when we parted. "And I really am sorry for everything that I've done. I will never yell at you again, I will never tell you to leave again and I won't ever let you get hurt again, I promise. You are welcome to stay for as long as you like, and if you choose to go back to Demacia along with Jarvan's troops, then I will be right here waiting if you ever want to return." She planted another soft kiss on my lips.

"I love you too, Sej. And there is nothing that you should be sorry for, I swear. In fact, _I'm _sorry. Sorry for saying that you don't know the meaning of `can't`, sorry for making you seem stupid... I know you're not. You are a great and respected leader. And regarding my stay... I don't think I'm ready to return to Demacia just yet." I smiled, and although I could see it, I knew that she smiled back.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

"Are you two done yet?" I heard Valor shriek through a crack in the window. "Quinn, I'm hungry. The food Fiora was feeding me is terrible! I hate French cuisine."

I laughed at him.

"It's not funny, I could have starved." He replied.

"I gathered that we should be going." Sejuani said. "I'll get some proper clothes for both of us as well."

"Thank you." I said as I realized that I was still wearing her furs and that her armour was probably extremely uncomfortable without them.

Once outside, I received a hug from both Shyvana and Fiora, who were relieved to have me back. Remorse slowly filled me as I would never get to see either of them again, and I wondered just how hard a blind world would be.

That question was no longer valid when Sejuani held onto my shoulders and safely led me away. She directed my every step without a single word, her firm yet gentle grip becoming my only connection with the world as I relaxed at her side.

And all of a sudden, as my head rested on her shoulder, the cold of Freljord became nonexistent.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Note - Not done with you just yet :D<strong>_

_I had so much fun writing this chapter it's almost unbelievable XD More fluff next chapter and some lose ends will be tied up. I really don't want this fanfic to end, so I might do more chapters of just aftermath stuff XD_

_I swear Valor is getting cuter by the minute..._

_Btw sorry for slow update! Exams ADSLKDJSFAISKHDFJN_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter XV

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><p>It seemed as if the Demacian troops would be leaving in the morning along with the Avarossan. Jarvan seemed to be worried about the creatures coming back as I don't think the tribe leader bothered to tell him they were all dead. I chuckled every time I saw his worried expression.<p>

The healer of the tribe was kind enough to still let me stay in her hut just for that one night, and as I was no longer sick both Fiora and I would have a comfy bed to sleep on. I was reluctant at first, but I didn't think that the duelist seemed to mind it.

We lied down under the covers, exhausted from the busy day that we had just endured.

I would never forget the feeling that ran through me as I woke up from my sickness. I opened my eyes and expected to see death staring back at me, but I didn't. Instead, I saw Fiora's turquoise eyes like I'd always do in my dreams, except this wasn't one of them. A smile spread across her face as she bent over and kissed me, the warmth of her lips fueling me with the life that I lacked for so long.

After the sense of euphoria, all that remained was confusion. I don't anyone could manage waking up in a freezing place with a creepy old woman staring at you with one eye and not start panicking a little. The last thing I remembered was Quinn saving me from the dark beasts, and suddenly noticed her absence.

I asked Fiora where she was, and my voice came out like a little bird's tweet. She laughed before telling me that my best friend was kidnapped, but would most likely be in the safe hands of the tribe leader. Despite her attempts to hide it, there was worry in her tone and I was made aware of all the things that I missed.

Speaking of things that I had missed, could someone please explain to me why my best friend is suddenly so close to this random human killing machine that's apparently the leader of a tribe of barbarians? No no, I didn't exaggerate. That's one thing to keep a close sisterly eye on...

As the night drew nearer, I felt Fiora scooch closer to me, as I had my back to her. I knew just how much the duelist valued her pride, so I felt surprised when she placed her arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I was always aware that my skin was too rough for humans to like, but it seemed that she didn't mind at all.

"Good night, Fiora." I whispered, in the softest tone that my voice could muster.

"Good night, Shyv." She answered, her foreign accent dancing around in my ears, causing a smile to spread across my lips.

Throughout the night, I drifted in and out of sleep, switching from one sweet dream to another. It felt good to finally sleep by your own accord, and not be dragged into oblivion every second your eyelids shut.

At some point, I heard the astir healer walk about the room and shortly, she left. I looked outside the window and noticed that it was barely morning, as the sun was only just creeping in behind the horizon. I found it odd how such an old woman would have so much energy in her as to get up so early, but I just let it pass. She just creeped me out too much at times.

However, once awake as I was, I found it hard to go back to sleep so I decided to start the day early. It would be nice to have some extra time to prepare for the journey, no matter how much Fiora would object.

"Go back to sleep, you stubborn reptile." She muttered wearily.

"Get up or I'll melt your sword with my breath." I answered.

She suddenly sat up. "Ignorant dragon, don't you know the value of that blade?"

I laughed at her and received a tired smile in response.

Eventually she gave in and stood up ready to pack whatever things she brought with her when they fleed. She said it would take time, but it turned out her only belongings were her blades and armour. I chuckled at how carefully she cleaned them until they shined.

"Who in Valoran would be up as early as us?" she asked, making fun of my new schedule.

I had no time to answer as a knock on the door interrupted me. Shortly, Quinn, led by the tribe leader, entered.

"I have my answer." Fiora scoffed.

"Good morning to you too." Quinn said. "All ready?"

I shrugged. "Almost. Fiora wants to clean the life out of that metal she's got."

"It's called dignity, Shyvana, and a pretty picture is the start of it!" She replied, making us all laugh.

"How about you Quinn? Are you ready?" I asked.

"Actually I'm not going to be leaving just yet. The Winter's Claw might need an extra pair of hands to get their hunting and supplies back on track, I'm sure." She answered, and the tribe leader glanced at her for a brief moment while she did so.

I squinted as a smile spread across my face, making my cynical thoughts obvious.

"And you would be good at hunting in your current state because..." I said.

"Well, maybe I won't go hunting but I'd skin the animals instead."

"And you'd be able to do that with precision because..."

"Fine, maybe I would carry supplies around."

"And you'd know where you're going because..."

"Ok, so I'm pretty useless."

"Which means that you're staying because..."

Fiora chuckled. "She'll be keeping the leader warm."

We all chuckled again, but the blush on Quinn's face didn't render the statement to be false.

"In her defence," said Sejuani, "it takes a pretty hot person to do that."

Another laugh filled the room as Quinn's face only reddened further. Yes, this was definitely something that I needed to keep a sisterly eye on. It was my duty to muddle myself up in my best friend's life.

After a few moments of idle talk, I asked Quinn if I could talk to her outside. I led her out the door and closed it behind us.

"So," I said, wearing a smile that she couldn't see, "I'm knocked out for what, a week or so, and you go and get yourself a girlfriend, eh?"

"What, well, what..."

I chuckled.

* * *

><p>"This will sound familiar, but can you describe her to me?" she asked.<p>

"I really don't understand why you always do this... but yeah sure." I paused for a minute as I gathered my thoughts. "She has beautiful blue eyes... she's really strong and everytime she holds you in her arms you feel like the world just vanishes and you just succumb to her protective grip..." I smiled as I continued. "She has a sweet and soft side behind her taciturn and cruel shell. She also loses her temper easily and may not have the `cleanest` choice of words, and while she may not be the brightest when it comes to words on paper, she's a great and powerful leader." I chuckled as I concluded my description.

"You're done?"

I nodded.

Shyvana snickered. "Now that's someone you love."

I smiled. "You asked me the same thing about Jarvan though. How can you tell? I've said nice things about both of them, right?"

"It's actually really obvious. You _only _said nice things about Jarvan, it's like you were blind." She stopped briefly. "Sorry that was a bad choice of words. Anyway, you didn't seem to realize who Jarvan truly was, and let's be honest, he's certainly not a God. But when you told me about Sejuani, you didn't hesitate in saying _everything _about her, good or bad."

"Oh," I said, "I didn't realize any of that. I didn't mean to insult her by saying any of it, of course."

"Exactly. To you, it doesn't even sound bad."

"Shyvana, you are a genius."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"What - genius?" I asked her.

"No - Shyvana." She replied.

We laughed for a brief moment.

"I've always been meaning to ask you something, Shyv." I said after a few seconds. "Don't take this the wrong way, but if you're a half dragon and your father was the dragon... then your mother must have been human. How on earth did they..."

She chuckled. "All I'm saying is that my mother was a very brave woman, Quinn."

She made me laugh yet again. "So did she give birth to a baby or did she just lay an egg?"

"There are reasons why my mother is no longer with us, you know." She replied smiling.

"I'm hearing too much laughter!" I heard Fiora say. Suddenly, I remembered that one of the windows was cracked and they might have been able to hear out whole conversation. "I would join in and everything, but I want breakfast."

"Someone needs to break it to her that we don't have any food." Said Sejuani.

"What?" was Fiora's surprised response.

"Nevermind, nailed it." The tribe leader chuckled.

Shyvana led me back inside and sat me down onto the bed.

"How do you expect me to look good without breakfast?" Fiora asked, and the fact that we couldn't tell whether she was joking or not made us all laugh.

"I think we could spare a quick trip into the woods to see if the wildlife is back to normal," said Sejuani, "but Quinn, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to come."

"That's alright, I'll wait here. I won't try to climb any trees while you're gone."

"When we finish our roasted turkey," said Shyvana, "we might bring you some snow to nibble on."

I chuckled. "Sickness doesn't change people. Or dragons."

I felt Sejuani plant a kiss on my cheek. "See you later."

"See ya."

And with that they were gone.

I lied down on the bed and closed my eyes, which made little difference. I sighed and enjoyed the silence.

Suddenly, I heard the door open.

"What's wrong? You can't possibly be back already." I said, assuming that my three friends were back.

"Don't worry, it's just me, Olava." She said, making me sit up as I heard her approach me. "Tell me, Quinn. What do you see?"

I hesitated. "Nothing."

"You see, the eyes are useless when the mind is blind. But yours isn't, so don't let Lissandra's magic hold you back." She tied something around my neck. I reached up to my neckline in order to feel what it was and discovered the healer's bone necklace sitting roughly against my skin.

She must have noticed my confused expression.

"Bones are funny things. Robust enough to carry soldiers through battle but brittle enough to break under their own weight. I can feel that you know a lot about the art of healing through your endless nights in the library. Take care of it, Quinn. Every healer in every tribe has one." She replied.

"But I'm not a..."

I couldn't even finish my sentence as I heard the door open and close. She had left me in a state of awe and shock. And here I was, enjoying the silence.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Note<strong>_

_Almost... ALMOST done. Just a few more chapters I think just to add the bits that I really want to tie up/add. _


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